Of some 100,000 Palestinians who work in Israel daily, 63,000 have
permits and enter Israel via one of 11 checkpoints. In June, during the
fast of Ramadan, B’Tselem again documented the rough conditions at two
of the checkpoints: 300 and Qalandia. While the latter has 5 lanes only
one is operational at the busiest times. Crowding is particularly bad on
Sundays, the first day of the workweek. These conditions mean workers
are forced to leave for work in the dead of night, wait in long lines,
and often sleep where they work, seeing their families only on weekends.
This is not a necessary evil but a deliberate choice by the Israeli
authorities. Whatever the reasons for the choice, it is an
unconscionable and unacceptable one.
Filmed by: Iyad Haddad