Qalandiya

Just Right

All five checking stations were open when we arrived at the checkpoint at 5:25, and there were no lines at all, since the turnstile at the end of one of the cages was open to all comers. The “Aquarium” appeared empty – which struck us quite strange – but the absence of a soldier controlling the turnstiles in no way impaired the functioning of the checkpoint. The pace of advance through the checking stations was excellent, so that there was no need to regulate the passage through the cages.

At 5:40 a policeman arrived, failed to enter the Aquarium (which was locked from the inside), searched for the soldier within (who was sleeping, lying down), woke him, entered, and soon enough closed the open turnstile. But this, too, was for only a brief period, and the relatively swift flow continued through the next hour, so that lines hardly had a chance to form beyond the cages themselves.

The Humanitarian Gate was not opened at all, since the newcomers, who saw that the lines through the cages were so short, preferred to take that route. A Civil Administration soldier arrived at 6:05, followed by a policewoman and a security guard, but they were essentially unemployed.

We asked the bagel seller at the entrance to the shed, and one of our acquaintances  what the situation had been on the previous two days, and they both said that it was similar to this morning.

At 6:30, when the cages were empty, we passed through the one with an open turnstile, soon entered the checking station, and exited the checkpoint at 6:38. On our way back to our cars (in the southern parking lot, on the “Israeli side” of the checkpoint), we were stopped by a smiling young man who said that this morning was excellent, and everyone was pleased, but we shouldn’t think that every morning is like this. “Inshallah,” we replied, “that every morning should be this way.”