Anata, A-ram, Qalandia
Anata, A-ram, Kalandia, 1.2.07, morningObservers: Mili M., Chana S. (reporting)6.50 a.m. AnataVery busy. An enormously long line of cars awaiting checking as only one lane was open. Soon after we arrived (just coincidentally) a second lane opened. A local man, complaining about the delay and the subsequent chaos, said this varied from day to day, depending on the officer in charge that day. Even the line of buses waiting to be checked seemed longer than usual – but all the checking was done in the routine manner. We saw one woman being sent back.7.30. A-ramThere was a regular police car parked at the nearby corner on the main road, partially blocking the approach to the checkpoint, but the border police said it was not connected to them and they didn’t know why it was there. While we were at the checkpoint, only one car was checked by that car, delayed a few minutes and then proceeded.At the checkpoint itself a group of about six women (who looked like villagers) were sent back.8.15. QalandiyaAs we arrived, a man approached us saying that he had been refused entry in spite of his permit valid until mid-February. We phoned his employer (a Palestinian) who said he should go to Etzion. We left him trying to go via the Matak – but realised afterwards that in fact he was from Abadiyeh(?) and therefore in the ‘wrong’ region and think that he was aware of this all the time.More success with a man who had come with two small boys and a just under-16 daughter to pay a visit to Jerusalem. The girl’s birth certificate (a Jordanian one, though she was born in Jerusalem!) was in Arabic and apparently the people at the counter could not read it so sent them back. The father said that he has another certificate (Hebrew? English?) but in his hurry picked up the wrong one. A helpful military policeman in the outside office made a phonecall and got permission for them to go through, advising the man to be sure to use the other certificate in future. After that, they passed through without mishap.Two turnstiles were functioning, apart from the entrance to the Matak. The latter opened at 8.40. People seemed to have different views about when the official opening time should be, mostly claiming it was supposed to be at 8 a.m.