Qalandiya

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Place: 
Observers: 
Hanna Barag (reporting) and guest, Prof. Cathy Caruth; Translator: Judith Green
Jun-13-2018
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Morning

We arrived at the checkpoing at 08:10.  We expected that the checkpoint would be empty, but a huge crowd of people awaited us - mainly women, but not only.  The line reached to the end of the shed.  The opening of the turnstyle was very slow and the line in the "cages" was equally so.  Our guest couldn't get over the sight, "like cows waiting to be milked"!  Before we joined the line and only observed what was going on in the "cages" and around them, the guest asked me if this is way people go through here day by day.  "How can they bear this?"  And truly, to an outside observer who sees the debacle for the first time, with the eyes of people who line in countries without an occupation and with respect for human rights, the sight of the disgusting checkpoints is simply not understandable.

At 09:20, we joined the line.  It took us 20 minutes to get as far as the windows.  After we passed the "cage", we joined the line of women.   The shoving was unbearable.  The turnstyle to the magnometer and the inspection opened terribly slowly, and only 2-3 women could pass through each time. Very quickly, arguments and shouts were heard.  Some of the women, especially those who were pregnant, were about to faint.  It felt as though we were being strangled by lack of air and there were women who broke out in tears from desperation. I felt as though I was standing in the line to Hell!  The guest was amazed by the restrained behavior of the little children who weren't totally crushed.  We telephoned and begged for help, which took a long time to arrive.  After what seemed an eternity, an efficient officer arrived who operated the passage and the crowding slowly gave way.  In the lines to the other windows, where the men passed, the passage was quicker, although also there was a lot of shoving.  When we tried to find out what caused such a huge impossible crowd like this, they placed the blame on the serious pressure of the month of Ramadan, "which wore out the soldiers".  And what about the Palestinians who were celebrating and the pressure on them?...Again, we heard that many more people went through this year during the fast and on Fridays than in previous years.  From our observations of Fridays we got the opposite impression - there were fewer people.  Maybe of this is part of the collective punishment which is "going wild" in the occupied territories right now? Two and a quarter hours later, we succeeded in leaving the checkpoint "to freedom" and to breathe clear air.

 

Innumerable times I have written that "This was the worst day we ever experienced at Qalandiya", but also today that was our feeling...disgusting!