Qalandiya, יום ב' 22.6.09, אחה"צ
3.45 Qalandiya. When we arrive there was an ambulance waiting on the Israeli side and we were going to go through to see what was happening. But in the first turnstile we found an elderly couple with about 6 pieces of luggage, one of which a suitcase was very large. We phoned the Moked and also the DCO but though we were told that someone would be sent no one came. When a soldier did arrive accompanying an army group we asked him several times to open the gate for them but his answer was that they could take it through the turnstile with no difficulty. This "no difficulty" took at least 15 minutes and caused a delay also for those waiting behind them besides being a great physical strain. It seems that any humanitarian or other gate at Qalandiya are like the Gates
of Mercy on the Temple Mount which will only open when the Messiah comes.
Two men arrived to sign a paper for Chaya. The one showed us a note on which was scribbled that he was security refused until 2011 and said he did not know the reason. He had also been to the Palestinian Authority where he was given the same information.
Towards 5pm Natanya went through to the car park. At first the workers returning had no problem but then a bus arrived with the wives, children and parcels of the prisoners in jail and a complete confusion ensued with shouting and pushing. It looked as if it could turn into a very unpleasant situation. One man took the nitiative and then all the men stood in a one long line reaching out of the shed and the women and children went through. It seemed that they did not have to use the machines as the workers returning for the day did.
Once more the rudeness and the contempt of the women soldiers in the booth was evident. Each time someone came to the window they started a conversation and only after a few minutes would throw a glance at the ID and flick a finger for the person to go on.
I had just that day been told by a friend that at the mall she does not have to go through the x-ray device. Now there seems to be no way a woman can avoid this. At least in the turnstile through which I passed.
We left at 5.30
Natanya