Qalandiya, Wed 16.11.11, Afternoon
Bituniya – Qalandiya
Whenever we can tighten our grip – we will!
16:00: We reached Bituniya - the merchandise checkpoint. Two lorries were waiting to get through, on their way to Ramalla.
A signpost read: Entrance to Judea and Samaria Districts Forbidden. Telephone numbers listed – if necessary!
The soldier at the checkpoint told us that "dangerous materials" required a special permit. The lorry he was dealing with carried six metal pipes. Asking which materials are "dangerous," the driver was answered with: "Did I talk with you"? The soldier added that there is a list! – We couldn't locate a list on the Civil Administration
site… Are six irrigation pipes on the list of "dangerous materials"? The driver left Bituniya in the direction of Qalandiya and we followed his vehicle.
On the road running from the territories to Israel, we didn't notice any commercial vehicles. Only Israeli vehicles, carrying yellow identification plates, can get through. (Road 443 is off bounds for Palestinians, except for a short segment of the road).
At the edge of the Qalandiya CP we noticed a huge traffic jam. The layout of the area leads to this jammed-up situation. We talked with the driver we had followed and he claimed to have all the necessary permits - The soldier at Bituniya simply wouldn't take responsibility. "Its not because of the merchandise I carried, it's because of my identity. I could have been at home an hour ago." Only drivers from Eastern Jerusalem are allowed to transfer merchandise while this driver was an Israeli-Arab from the north of the country.
The driver asked Machsomwatch women to check the unbearable delays at Sha'ar Efrayim, which operates at awkward times incompatible with normal work-hours.