Qalandiya – the DCO offices are closed for renovation
I went to the DCO offices and found the place shining, renovated, handsome and – closed.
I tried to enter through every crack or detour. Everything was locked and empty.
This place – committed to provide services touching upon every aspect of Palestinian life, including life-saving ones – was inactive.
I asked a security guard sitting at the opening leading to the locked-up target what about people who need the services of the DCO, and he answered: They come, see it’s closed, and leave.
Like them, I came, saw it was closed, and left.
On my way I could not help but think about the people whose lives had been stopped by these renovations, the patients who were denied access to hospitals or clinics, those who could not visit their family members, many like them and others who came and will come not of their own choice, and certainly not in their own favor.
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True, it’s not meant for anyone’s imagination one-to-one, but every time I see the skull insignia stuck to the uniform of an Israeli soldier or security guard, I am reminded of the Waffen SS death squads.
Yet the former, proudly sporting this horrific sign on their chest, like the one who let me photograph it, lack historical memory. For them it is simply cool, no more.
