Qalandiya

05.15. Still partly dark.  No long lines in front of the sleeves, but many people waiting at the checking stations themselves. The parking lot is still blocked and there does not seem to have been any progress in the building program.  The soldier in the aquarium lets in many people through the turnstiles each time. Thus the large number of people at the checking stations, but outside the situation is 'reasonable.'

Women fit into the regular queue.  After a while the queue becomes long, extending out of the shed right into the parking lot. The replacement soldier who came at 6, also lets in many people each time.  A long line forms at the humanitarian gate, but no sign of D.C.O. staff.

At about 6.25 at last a D.C.O. officer arrives with a woman soldier to whom he explains the procedure. Meanwhile a guard has also arrived, with a policewoman.  Only at 6.30 is the humanitarian gate first opened.  The lines remain long. More guards arrive.  Now and again some people would try to squeeze into the leftmost line, causing pressure, and it looked as if the queue would collapse. The other two lines were orderly.

At 7.25 the lines were by now short and we joined one of them. While we were waiting in line the D.C.O. personnel left and anyone arriving afterwards at the humanitarian gate was sent to the regular line. It took us 25 minutes to pass.  At the checking stations the soldiers, even at 7.50, insisted that older people who are allowed to enter without passes at 8 o'clock must wait those 10 minutes.