Qalandiya
We are uncertain about the rules at present for workers entering Israel. As far as we understand, permit holders go out without Corona restrictions.
06.10. When we arrived, there was a steady stream passing without delays. Abu Ramzi, the beigel seller, stood with his cart in the parking lot. According to him at 4.30, when he arrives, there are already people arriving. Conditions are hard and he brings fewer wares nowadays and, if it were not necessary to support his daughter and grandchildren he would stop altogether.
A woman squats with her belongings at an entrance to the checkpoint. We thought she was waiting for the offices to open but saw later that she was begging – the Corona aggravating an already hard situation. We gave her a little…
When we went to the kiosk for tea we saw a notice on the fence next to it, advertising "Brothers' Parking" which belongs to the owner's family, which also offers office services like applications for magnetic cards, etc.
As you may remember, a while ago – thanks to our spokesperson Raia – media people (Nurit Yochanan of Kan 11) visited Qalandiya, D.C.O. Etzion and other places, and reported among other things, on the state toilets. Since then at Etzion a new clean building has been erected, and the Qalandiya toilets were cleaned (located in the old checkpoint building). Since new building works have begun on this shed, access to the toilets was in the men's toilet. But the last few times we have visited this, too, has been locked. We checked this time: the sign on the wall marking the location of the toilets was fallen on the ground behind the pipes. The door of the toilet itself was locked and all the space around it inside the shed was piled with dirt and excreta.
Soon after 7 o'clock we entered the checkpoint and passed through in a few minutes without any delay.