Qalandiya, Mon 18.5.09, Morning
Judy O., Chana S. (reporting)
6.35 a.m. Queues extended beyond the shelter. A worker we spoke to, already in the ‘sleeve
' said he had arrived at 5.10. We saw him finally get through the carousel at 7.00 - and then, of course, only to joint the end of a line at a gate.
An announcement: separate gates for Atarot workers, schoolchildren. At least the announcements were made clearly, in fluent Arabic. The lines began to flow more freely. By now the waiting area was almost clear.
The humanitarian gate was opened quite frequently. But this is a mixed blessing because the workers waiting at the carousels are then delayed and feel very frustrated. The officer (Kabalan) was present all the time and worked very efficiently but, as he pointed out, there was such a bottleneck at the gates themselves (which were out of his control) that the carousels couldn't be opened more frequently. It is so obvious that the whole setup is far too small to cope with the numbers of people who have early morning deadlines.