Qalandiya, Sun 13.6.10, Afternoon

Guests: a journalist from Switzerland and his wife

To and fro, to and fro...

The fear of losing their source of income and the need to survive, transformed the Palestinians, who in most cases are extremely poor, into people who can adjust to any situation.  

The changes made in the regulations and the "bullying" in every checkpoint of Palestinian laborers with permit to work at the settlements Giva't Zeev and Givon, had yet to end:

Hundreds, and maybe thousands, of people from all around the West Bank, who had arrived about two weeks ago at Qalandiya, knowing they could only pass through THAT checkpoint, were surprised to hear that the regulations had changed. From then onwards they would have to drive to Jib checkpoint (which is the biblical Givon), because they were only permitted to pass through THERE.

They received no notice in advance and there were no publications regarding this: "the Palestinians know" is how we are replayed when we ask "how did they know?"

Only after crowding up in the long morning lines of Qalandiya checkpoint, being crammed up in human panes and providing before the soldier in the bullet proof window the necessary documents that indicate their existence and that allow them to continue existing, were they told to go to a different checkpoint, one that is located far away- adding about half an hour to their daily car trip and enlarging their expenses.

Then, once again, they all stood in lines, took out their magnetic cards, IDs and passage permits.

That morning, none of them had the chance of arriving at work on time: "it was already after nine when I got there", said the person who had told us about this.

The passage through El-Jib checkpoint had become a routine: they had become accustomed to waking up before dawn, to the longer hours of staying awake, to the longer drive and to the higher expense.

They wouldn't complain- to whom could they complain? - They only expressed their bitterness amongst themselves.

And during one of the days in the previous week, the regulations went back to being as before: once again, the workers of those two settlements could pass ONLY through Qalandiya checkpoint, the morning lines went back to being as before and the coffee and sweets salesmen were happy for the retrieval of their customers.

But this routine doesn't mark the end of all the changes: according to a rumor, soon, once they finish upgrading El Jib checkpoint (meaning: once they equip it with "smart" machines to supervise those entering and exiting), the workers standing in line at Qalandiya will be informed that they can pass ONLY through El-Jib checkpoint.

Nobody knows if it true or when this might happen, perhaps in a day or two, or maybe even more, once again the lines and the stress (where?) and loss of money and time.

A Palestinian ambulance with a patient from Jenin, suffering for a heart disease, had been waiting on the square in front of the checkpoint for 30 minutes, until an ambulance from East Jerusalem arrived.

Only then was the driver permitted to advance, only then did the inspection of the vehicle and documentations of the patient, begin. This took an extra 15 minutes. Once the two ambulances reached each other, the patient was transferred from one to the other, and taken to Mokased hospital for treatment.

These are the regulations: the inspection of the documents and state of the patient, that is, whether or not he poses a threat to Israel, won't commence before the arrival of the ambulance that is to take his to his place of admission.

An efficient use of time in order to ease the suffering or sometimes even save lives isn't part of the authorities interests. This authority is supposed to at least make it seam as though it had the Palestinians best interest at heart, but from the years of observation of the way it treats these people, the only conclusion that springs to mind is that it only wants what is best to it and it alone.  .