'Anata, Qalandiya, Thu 16.10.08, Morning
Anata 6:35-7:15
Although Anata was very crowded and busy traffic moved along smoothly. It appeared that small buses and taxis going into Anata were emptying out as others boarded.
We understood the a new 7 lane machson was under construction, adding to the morning noise.
Qalandiya
Apparently due to Succoth, it was nearly empby and people seemed to move through quickly.
Several people came to ask for our help. One man in particular who apeared to be well over 50 and had all the appropriate documents said that yesterday he got through but could not today. We called Yoram, the duty officer, and he said that due to the closure, no one should be going through. He said that the fact that this man got through yesterday was a "mistake".
It was very disturbing to see how random and inconsistent the situation was. Many people there spoke to us about the lack of clarity, with some people carrying the appropriate papers not allowed to go while others seemed to be able to go through the checkpoint. The level of frustration was high.