'Anata, Jaba (Lil), Qalandiya, Thu 21.2.08, Morning

When
we arrived we met the ‘Rosh Vaad’ who told us that the previous day, when the
trunk of his car was being checked, the cborder policeman cursed him – in
Russian.  He also said there had
been a tear-gas incident, but did not give details inside the camp.  According to him, the police
deliberately drive their vehicles in the school buses lot a
provocation.

There
were three armed vehicles and numerous border police, soldiers and ‘private’
personnel – but they all seemed singularly relaxed and good-humoured (among
themselves, that is).  The heavy
traffic moved in its usual slow pace through 2 lanes, but there was nothing
unusual.  When we left, the now
familiar women (four, this time) were still trying to sneak their way past the
guards.

 
7.30
a.m.
Qalandiya

 
At
Lill we saw two vehicles being held.

At
Qualandia all the lanes were open and we were told that all the machines were
functioning.  At the outside
carousels, people seemed to be let through very slowly. There crowd was
unusually heavy for this late hour.  Instructions were blared so loudly on the
loudspeakers as to be practically unintelligible.  We pointed this out to the policeman who
agreed with us, but there was no
improvement.

  Women, schoolchildren and teachers were
allowed in at a separate gate (the one which would later be used for prisoners’
families) and were directed to entrance no.5.  At one stage this gate was closed as
this was making the men having to wait unfairly long, but then reopened.  The very few prisoners’ families were
allowed through only at 8.40.  In
the past they always passed through at 8. 

The
officer Ahmad was obviously trying to keep tolerable order and decide priorities
(I think at one stage in conflict with the policeman who is usually there in
that outside office).