Qalandiya, Thursday, 2.11.06, pmTamar V., Ofra B., Roni H. (reporting)We went to Qalandiya through Ar-Ram and drove northwards along the Wall. At Ar-Ram there was a long line of cars to Jerusalem and the passage was rather slow. But we did not stop there because we wanted to be in time for a visit in the DCO Qalandiya. We arrived at Qalandiya at 15:45 and went through lane Nr.5 straight to the DCO. There we met a man who has waited since 9 o’clock in the morning to receive an entry permit to Jerusalem so that he and his wife could visit their son, who was lying in Sharei Tsedek hospital fo one and a half month already. The son has been stabbed in Abu Dis during a fight between three clans and was taken in critical condition to Sharei Tzedek. The father told us that at 9:00 there were 80 people in the waiting room and that his wife has entered the office at 15:00 only. When she came out at 16:10 she was the hungry but happy owner of a permit for 2 weeks of daily visits. At 15:55 a women wanted to enter the office, but the soldier told her it was closed. We reminded him that he was obliged to recieve any person who was present before 16:00 and he let her in. But strangely enough, at this very moment the computer broke down and the woman had to leave empty handed. In the waiting room of the DCO we realized once more to what extent Qalandiya was a well kept “model terminal” on display to the local and international media, who have easy access to it and visit it rather frequently. Except for the month of Ramadan, when crowds of thousands of people tried to benefit from the well publicized but not kept promises of “easing measures” , the only ones allowed to cross here on regular days are Jerusalem residents and persons with very special permits. This restricts the amount of crossing persons from the ouset and the traffic can be kept usually rather flowing without severe congestions. And that’s why we witness in the last months, with rare exceptions, quite reasonable conditions. But don’t let ourselves be fooled! Qalandiya is a model checkpoint for a very limited group of people.