Qalandiya

05.15. We parked in the parking-lot and walked towards the Palestinian side.  Next to the parking-lot is a café which is already full of people, drinking coffee, smoking and chatting, waiting for their transport. As it is still so early, there are people lying asleep on the pavement. One can never know how long passing through the checkpoint will take on a particular day, so people set out very early from home.  Then, when passage is unexpectedly quick, they sometimes exploit this free time to catch up on their sleep!

When we got to the Palestinian side we were happy to see that there almost no lines.  All 5 checking stations were open. The turnstile next to the soldier’s cubicle was left open, so everyone could enter right away. The beigel seller was in his usual place, and the kiosk opened soon after.  We have not seen the cake seller since Ramadan – it seems these are now sold at the kiosk.

Later the soldier would close the turnstile from time to time if there seemed to be pressure at the checking stations, but queues disappeared quickly.  At 5.45 a policeman came, but left soon after. Towards 6 o’clock there were more people and short lines formed in two of the lanes, afterwards in all three. At 6 there was a changing of the guard between soldiers in the cubicle and, soon afterwards, a DCO officer. Because of the short lines, people did not approach the humanitarian gate, at this stage.

Soon after 6, pressure began to build up, but the turnstiles opened regularly.  At this point people started going to the humanitarian gate, but the officer sent them to the regular line. We wondered if this was because he was alone, without a policeman or a guard.

For personal reasons we had to leave early today, and so joined one of the queues at 6.15. We advanced quite quickly and noticed later that a policewoman had arrived. In spite of this, though, the DCO officer continued to send people to the regular line and did not open the humanitarian gate.

At the checking station the woman soldier was surprised to see us. Ronit had to pass to her, physically, her identity card.  The soldier consulted her colleagues, typed her computer, phoned somebody – and only then asked what she was doing there, but the answer that we were from Machsomwatch satisfied her, the card was returned and we were allowed to pass. We apologized to the Palestinians behind us, who were delayed because of us.  In spite of all this we passed within less than 25 minutes altogether.