15:30, Qalandiya:  When we reached Qalandiya, there were two active passageways with small lines in each.  As usual, the CP was dirty and squalid, lit weakly in a manner that doesn't hide the neglect but only highlights it, accentuating the gloominess.  There were very few people in the northern shed, mainly day laborers returning home after a day's work.  It seems that, since opening of the western CP for bus passengers, the livelihood of the peddlers in the shed has collapsed.  On reaching Qalandiya, we managed only to say our good-byes to the coffee-seller who had already packed up his cart and was all but gone.  The candy-man and the corn-vendor held out for another hour.
On entering the CP we met a group of angry people hurrying from Passageway No. 1 to Passageway No. 4.  They told us that after they had stood on line and waited (for varying amounts of time), a soldier had announced over the PA system that the passageway was closed.  Now there was only one active passageway and the line there quickly grew very long.  We called Headquarters and, when that didn't help, the Passageway Unit. This time for a change, the soldier answering the phone didn't hang up on me but explained that one of the soldiers in Passageway 1 (one of three soldiers) had gone to the WC, thereby paralyzing an entire passageway.  But this simple explanation seemed to calm those still waiting in line.
A crippled teen-age girl, leaning on a walker, arrived in Passageway 1 with her mother.  We phoned Headquarters again to ask for help and, unbelievably, after several minutes a female soldier in the aquarium opened the "Humanitarian Gate" and let the two through and out again to Jerusalem.  Natanya accompanied them and, on her way, complimented the soldier on her compassionate behavior.  The soldier, Chen, responded that all soldiers should behave in that manner.  Days of the Messiah! 
Meanwhile, Nicole and I stayed behind and chatted with those standing in line.  They complained about conditions in the CP and also that West Bank Palestinians were not given permits to visit their families in Jerusalem.  We were also told that afternoon lines at the CP are much shorter now because of the new CP for bus passengers.
Later on, Nicole and I went through the CP and joined Natanya on the Jerusalem side.  We saw a Palestinian ambulance arriving from Ramallah refused entrance to Jerusalem and ordered to turn around and wait at a distance.  After about 5 minutes, another ambulance arrived, from Jerusalem.  Only then was the Palestinian ambulance allowed to pass through and transfer its passengers, a girl of 8 with a bandage on her eye accompanied by her mother.  The driver of the Jerusalem ambulance told us that this is the rule:  Palestinian ambulances cannot wait on the Israeli side of the CP for more than 2 or 3 minutes.
We left Qalandiya at 5 PM and returned to Jerusalem via Lil/Jabba and Hizmeh CPs.  Traffic was flowing at both CP's.
   images from [email protected] 
Qalandiya
Monday afternoon, 27.12.2010
Natanya G., Nicole (a guest) and Phyllis W. (reporting)
 
15:30, Qalandiya:  When we reached Qalandiya, there were two active passageways with small lines in each.  As usual, the CP was dirty and squalid, lit weakly in a manner that doesn't hide the neglect but only highlights it, accentuating the gloominess.  There were very few people in the northern shed, mainly day laborers returning home after a day's work.  It seems that, since opening of the western CP for bus passengers, the livelihood of the peddlers in the shed has collapsed.  On reaching Qalandiya, we managed only to say our good-byes to the coffee-seller who had already packed up his cart and was all but gone.  The candy-man and the corn-vendor held out for another hour.
On entering the CP we met a group of angry people hurrying from Passageway No. 1 to Passageway No. 4.  They told us that after they had stood on line and waited (for varying amounts of time), a soldier had announced over the PA system that the passageway was closed.  Now there was only one active passageway and the line there quickly grew very long.  We called Headquarters and, when that didn't help, the Passageway Unit. This time for a change, the soldier answering the phone didn't hang up on me but explained that one of the soldiers in Passageway 1 (one of three soldiers) had gone to the WC, thereby paralyzing an entire passageway.  But this simple explanation seemed to calm those still waiting in line.
A crippled teen-age girl, leaning on a walker, arrived in Passageway 1 with her mother.  We phoned Headquarters again to ask for help and, unbelievably, after several minutes a female soldier in the aquarium opened the "Humanitarian Gate" and let the two through and out again to Jerusalem.  Natanya accompanied them and, on her way, complimented the soldier on her compassionate behavior.  The soldier, Chen, responded that all soldiers should behave in that manner.  Days of the Messiah! 
Meanwhile, Nicole and I stayed behind and chatted with those standing in line.  They complained about conditions in the CP and also that West Bank Palestinians were not given permits to visit their families in Jerusalem.  We were also told that afternoon lines at the CP are much shorter now because of the new CP for bus passengers.
Later on, Nicole and I went through the CP and joined Natanya on the Jerusalem side.  We saw a Palestinian ambulance arriving from Ramallah refused entrance to Jerusalem and ordered to turn around and wait at a distance.  After about 5 minutes, another ambulance arrived, from Jerusalem.  Only then was the Palestinian ambulance allowed to pass through and transfer its passengers, a girl of 8 with a bandage on her eye accompanied by her mother.  The driver of the Jerusalem ambulance told us that this is the rule:  Palestinian ambulances cannot wait on the Israeli side of the CP for more than 2 or 3 minutes.
We left Qalandiya at 5 PM and returned to Jerusalem via Lil/Jabba and Hizmeh CPs.  Traffic was flowing at both CP's.
 
 images from [email protected] 
Qalandiya
Monday afternoon, 27.12.2010
Natanya G., Nicole (a guest) and Phyllis W. (reporting)
 
15:30, Qalandiya:  When we reached Qalandiya, there were two active passageways with small lines in each.  As usual, the CP was dirty and squalid, lit weakly in a manner that doesn't hide the neglect but only highlights it, accentuating the gloominess.  There were very few people in the northern shed, mainly day laborers returning home after a day's work.  It seems that, since opening of the western CP for bus passengers, the livelihood of the peddlers in the shed has collapsed.  On reaching Qalandiya, we managed only to say our good-byes to the coffee-seller who had already packed up his cart and was all but gone.  The candy-man and the corn-vendor held out for another hour.
On entering the CP we met a group of angry people hurrying from Passageway No. 1 to Passageway No. 4.  They told us that after they had stood on line and waited (for varying amounts of time), a soldier had announced over the PA system that the passageway was closed.  Now there was only one active passageway and the line there quickly grew very long.  We called Headquarters and, when that didn't help, the Passageway Unit. This time for a change, the soldier answering the phone didn't hang up on me but explained that one of the soldiers in Passageway 1 (one of three soldiers) had gone to the WC, thereby paralyzing an entire passageway.  But this simple explanation seemed to calm those still waiting in line.
A crippled teen-age girl, leaning on a walker, arrived in Passageway 1 with her mother.  We phoned Headquarters again to ask for help and, unbelievably, after several minutes a female soldier in the aquarium opened the "Humanitarian Gate" and let the two through and out again to Jerusalem.  Natanya accompanied them and, on her way, complimented the soldier on her compassionate behavior.  The soldier, Chen, responded that all soldiers should behave in that manner.  Days of the Messiah! 
Meanwhile, Nicole and I stayed behind and chatted with those standing in line.  They complained about conditions in the CP and also that West Bank Palestinians were not given permits to visit their families in Jerusalem.  We were also told that afternoon lines at the CP are much shorter now because of the new CP for bus passengers.
Later on, Nicole and I went through the CP and joined Natanya on the Jerusalem side.  We saw a Palestinian ambulance arriving from Ramallah refused entrance to Jerusalem and ordered to turn around and wait at a distance.  After about 5 minutes, another ambulance arrived, from Jerusalem.  Only then was the Palestinian ambulance allowed to pass through and transfer its passengers, a girl of 8 with a bandage on her eye accompanied by her mother.  The driver of the Jerusalem ambulance told us that this is the rule:  Palestinian ambulances cannot wait on the Israeli side of the CP for more than 2 or 3 minutes.
We left Qalandiya at 5 PM and returned to Jerusalem via Lil/Jabba and Hizmeh CPs.  Traffic was flowing at both CP's.
 
 images from [email protected] 
Qalandiya
Monday afternoon, 27.12.2010
Natanya G., Nicole (a guest) and Phyllis W. (reporting)
 
15:30, Qalandiya:  When we reached Qalandiya, there were two active passageways with small lines in each.  As usual, the CP was dirty and squalid, lit weakly in a manner that doesn't hide the neglect but only highlights it, accentuating the gloominess.  There were very few people in the northern shed, mainly day laborers returning home after a day's work.  It seems that, since opening of the western CP for bus passengers, the livelihood of the peddlers in the shed has collapsed.  On reaching Qalandiya, we managed only to say our good-byes to the coffee-seller who had already packed up his cart and was all but gone.  The candy-man and the corn-vendor held out for another hour.
On entering the CP we met a group of angry people hurrying from Passageway No. 1 to Passageway No. 4.  They told us that after they had stood on line and waited (for varying amounts of time), a soldier had announced over the PA system that the passageway was closed.  Now there was only one active passageway and the line there quickly grew very long.  We called Headquarters and, when that didn't help, the Passageway Unit. This time for a change, the soldier answering the phone didn't hang up on me but explained that one of the soldiers in Passageway 1 (one of three soldiers) had gone to the WC, thereby paralyzing an entire passageway.  But this simple explanation seemed to calm those still waiting in line.
A crippled teen-age girl, leaning on a walker, arrived in Passageway 1 with her mother.  We phoned Headquarters again to ask for help and, unbelievably, after several minutes a female soldier in the aquarium opened the "Humanitarian Gate" and let the two through and out again to Jerusalem.  Natanya accompanied them and, on her way, complimented the soldier on her compassionate behavior.  The soldier, Chen, responded that all soldiers should behave in that manner.  Days of the Messiah! 
Meanwhile, Nicole and I stayed behind and chatted with those standing in line.  They complained about conditions in the CP and also that West Bank Palestinians were not given permits to visit their families in Jerusalem.  We were also told that afternoon lines at the CP are much shorter now because of the new CP for bus passengers.
Later on, Nicole and I went through the CP and joined Natanya on the Jerusalem side.  We saw a Palestinian ambulance arriving from Ramallah refused entrance to Jerusalem and ordered to turn around and wait at a distance.  After about 5 minutes, another ambulance arrived, from Jerusalem.  Only then was the Palestinian ambulance allowed to pass through and transfer its passengers, a girl of 8 with a bandage on her eye accompanied by her mother.  The driver of the Jerusalem ambulance told us that this is the rule:  Palestinian ambulances cannot wait on the Israeli side of the CP for more than 2 or 3 minutes.
We left Qalandiya at 5 PM and returned to Jerusalem via Lil/Jabba and Hizmeh CPs.  Traffic was flowing at both CP's.
 
 images from [email protected] 
Qalandiya
Monday afternoon, 27.12.2010
Natanya G., Nicole (a guest) and Phyllis W. (reporting)
 
15:30, Qalandiya:  When we reached Qalandiya, there were two active passageways with small lines in each.  As usual, the CP was dirty and squalid, lit weakly in a manner that doesn't hide the neglect but only highlights it, accentuating the gloominess.  There were very few people in the northern shed, mainly day laborers returning home after a day's work.  It seems that, since opening of the western CP for bus passengers, the livelihood of the peddlers in the shed has collapsed.  On reaching Qalandiya, we managed only to say our good-byes to the coffee-seller who had already packed up his cart and was all but gone.  The candy-man and the corn-vendor held out for another hour.
On entering the CP we met a group of angry people hurrying from Passageway No. 1 to Passageway No. 4.  They told us that after they had stood on line and waited (for varying amounts of time), a soldier had announced over the PA system that the passageway was closed.  Now there was only one active passageway and the line there quickly grew very long.  We called Headquarters and, when that didn't help, the Passageway Unit. This time for a change, the soldier answering the phone didn't hang up on me but explained that one of the soldiers in Passageway 1 (one of three soldiers) had gone to the WC, thereby paralyzing an entire passageway.  But this simple explanation seemed to calm those still waiting in line.
A crippled teen-age girl, leaning on a walker, arrived in Passageway 1 with her mother.  We phoned Headquarters again to ask for help and, unbelievably, after several minutes a female soldier in the aquarium opened the "Humanitarian Gate" and let the two through and out again to Jerusalem.  Natanya accompanied them and, on her way, complimented the soldier on her compassionate behavior.  The soldier, Chen, responded that all soldiers should behave in that manner.  Days of the Messiah! 
Meanwhile, Nicole and I stayed behind and chatted with those standing in line.  They complained about conditions in the CP and also that West Bank Palestinians were not given permits to visit their families in Jerusalem.  We were also told that afternoon lines at the CP are much shorter now because of the new CP for bus passengers.
Later on, Nicole and I went through the CP and joined Natanya on the Jerusalem side.  We saw a Palestinian ambulance arriving from Ramallah refused entrance to Jerusalem and ordered to turn around and wait at a distance.  After about 5 minutes, another ambulance arrived, from Jerusalem.  Only then was the Palestinian ambulance allowed to pass through and transfer its passengers, a girl of 8 with a bandage on her eye accompanied by her mother.  The driver of the Jerusalem ambulance told us that this is the rule:  Palestinian ambulances cannot wait on the Israeli side of the CP for more than 2 or 3 minutes.
We left Qalandiya at 5 PM and returned to Jerusalem via Lil/Jabba and Hizmeh CPs.  Traffic was flowing at both CP's.