Qalandiya
An appalling situation at Qalandiya – nothing new!
06:00 We arrived late. The crowd was big and the line went on and on. Evidently, due to the large number of people we had missed the opening of the humanitarian gate. We were told it had opened. The whole procedure was extremely slow. People standing glued to each other in the fenced-off areas were being squeezed and pushed around. People waiting outside these areas kept pushing while trying to get in – an awful situation. People were cursing and complaining – not hard to understand. We didn't manage to talk to anybody. We made some calls, the best we could do to help. It helped somewhat, but these tiny cosmetic improvements don't change the facts. This place is hell on earth. Sometime, we'll have to pay the price for this.
Our guest didn't believe her eyes. She kept saying she would never forget what she had seen at Qalandiya.
It was no use trying to figure out at what intervals the turnstile opened, since anyway, in this impossible situation people wouldn't be able to cross at a reasonable pace.
At 08:00, maybe due to our calls, the "humanitarian" gate opened again. People were allowed to cross but only after a thorough check making sure they had their permits. Then they could join the crowds at the windows. The authorities call it "special rights"!
When we left at 08:30 the line was still very long. It's no use describing the filth, the stinking toilets and the broken benches. That's how it is and how it will remain, it seems, since after all, who cares?!
One more day at Qalandiya!