Qalandiya

Long, Slow Lines This Morning

All five checking stations were open when we arrived at 5:30 but the lines were already out to the second row of cars in the parking lot. The progress forward was slow but relatively many people were allowed through the cages each time the turnstiles were opened, which eases the tension. At 6:15 we again checked the length of the lines, which now reached the third row of cars, prompting despair. Because we had to leave relatively early, we were not able to follow people from the end of the lines to a checking station in order to see how long they had to wait. At 6:50 we saw that the lines began to grow shorter.

The Humanitarian Gate was opened at 6:10 and operated smoothly all the while we were there.

Due to circumstances at work, we had to leave at 7:00 and, as a singular exception, passed through the Humanitarian Gate. It took us ten minutes (on line) to get through the security check.