Ezyon DCO, Wednesday PM, 24.5.06Observers: Laura S., Daniela D. (reporting)Summary, 15:00 – 17:30: Still chaotic but we managed to help a few people!Not too many people clustered by the turnstile, but their number grew as time went on. It takes ages for the soldier on the roof to let them in (usually 3 at a time) and in the meanwhile we managed the following:1. We refer a 46 year old man to S. because he is GSS denied, waiting with his brother since 09:00 to be interviewed by the GSS only to be sent away with not even another appointment. We try to sooth another man with a similar story who commented on the seconds it takes the soldier to send him away after he’d been waiting for seven hours.2. We run around trying to obtain a number for a young woman who wants a magnetic card. She is pretty hysterical, having at last reached the window, but once there is told she can only get one if she has one of the numbers handed out in the morning. She begs us to ask one of the taxi drivers for one, and it is thus we find out that a new trade has developed: selling numbers. The woman finally got what she came for without a number after screaming at the soldiers inside. She came out flushed and drained, but with a wry smile.3. Another woman was seeking a permit for an appointment at the Mukassed hospital. She had handed in the documents last week, and as is the rule now, could not get the permit on the same day since all cases go through Bet El. However, when she finally got to the window today she was informed in a dry-non-apologetic voice that her permit and documents had been lost and was told to go get new documents. She rushed back to Jerusalem, snuck into Mukassed (no permit, remember), came back and was waiting for ages behind the turnstile to go through the procedure again. Yael helped. Though it took another hour or so, Yael was able to make sure the woman would get her permit today, and indeed the woman came out waiving her permit in glee.4. An elderly woman came out absolutely at wits end. She and her husband needed to get to St John’s hospital tomorrow. Apparently Yael had been very instrumental in her case as well, but when the woman came out she realized she had indeed been given two permits, but both were in her husband’s name! Luckily Eyal answered the phone for once (we’d tried several times several different phone numbers on several different occasions today and nothing doing), he told us to send the woman back in so as to correct the mistake (the soldier on the roof was obliging once we mentioned Eyal’s name), and 15 minutes later we received two kisses, the woman was so grateful. And for what? She was bound for the hospital for a medical procedure! There were other little interventions we made which were successful, but they stressed all the more the depressing situation whereby people have to struggle and fight so as to get to work or to a doctor… However, in all fairness to the DCL, it must be also noted that as they were approaching closing time, many people came out with whatever they had asked for and at least everyone was attended to.