'Anata-Shu'afat, Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sheikh Saed
6:30 Sheikh Saed
Children on their way to school are frolicking in the corridors, evidently unaware that their counterparts in the world make their way to school without having to wind through fences and turnstiles, or depend on soldiers manning checking booths.
Crossing of adults is also swift.
On the outskirts of the checkpoint, the concrete wall is rising -- the one intended for the "benefit of residents."
Olive Terminal
Short lines and speedy crossing.
A 2-meter uncompleted breach in the wall gapes. We have no idea why this is the case. The camera
from the top of a post is lying on the ground, abandoned and redundant. Does anyone consider the cost of installing this useless camera?
Shuafat Checkpoint
As usual, turmoil in the transportation lot, and another morning ends without accident.
In the lanes for vehicles, on the other hand, the line stretches into the main road, its end out of sight. Only two lanes for checking during rush hour? The drivers honk angrily, nerves raw. After a while another lane opens and the pressure lessens. Couldn't this have been done sooner?
One of the guards notices us -- the same one who demanded to see our IDs the previous time. This "courteous" public servant gives us an angry look, accompanied by a gesture, and then spits.