Qalandiya, Mon 12.7.10, Afternoon

16:20, Qalandiya CP:  We were warned in advance that there would problems parking at the CP.  The traffic jam on the road from Jerusalem started way back in Beit Hanina, at the gas station opposite the Wall.  When we reached the southern square, we saw that BP policemen were directing all the traffic into A-Ram via the gate in the Wall.  We followed the rest and tried to reach Qalandiya from behind, but the connecting road was completely impassable.  Cars travelling to Ramallah made no progress against the flow of cars coming to A-Ram and Lil/Jabba CP.  After waiting in bumper-to-bumper traffic for almost half an hour, we made a u-turn and returned to the gate in the Wall.  We parked the car and passed through the gate on foot (after a long conversation with the BP contingent which, at first, refused to let us through).  We passed through the CP to the northern shed where there were only a few laborers waiting for a ride home after their day's work.  There was almost no one on line in the internal passageways and there seemed to be no problem in getting to Jerusalem.

From the northern parking lot we could see work in progress to extend the high Wall separating the parking lot from the refugee camp opposite in time for Ramadan (August 10).  Traffic on the road along the Wall had been stopped to allow the workers to do the job, which is supposed to be completed in two days.

There was not much to do at the CP and we left after a short time.  On our way back to Jerusalem we passed through Lil/Jabba and Hizmeh CPs.  Traffic was flowing at both.