Afternoon

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Nov-27-2002
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Fast due to break around 4.45, and only one lane for pedestrians, moving smoothly. We arrived after the car lane was shut seemingly arbitrarily for some time. People were enraged, convinced this was done on purpose especially because it is so crucial for everyone to rush home and break the fast with their families.The soldiers, all regular, tense, angry... A man stepped out of his car and asked angrily 'why is the checkpoint shut?' and a soldier pointed his gun at him in return, the man is so angry he is not deterred and shouts at the soldier, 'I am not afraid of you, are you threatening me?'The scene was that of disarray, madness, soldiers with no control, childish, (not scared, but plain malicious), rude, patronizing. It was very difficult to figure everything out, but it was terrifying. Two people who crossed not through the checkpoint had their IDs taken. There was no one to talk to. A third man who lives in Beit Hanina arrived at the checkpoint to collect his daughter (three hours before). He was about to park his car near the Transits when a soldier with his gun butt banged on the car and ordered him out and took away his (blue) ID with no explanation. His explanation for this was that the previous day he witnessed some quarrel/brawl between another Palestinian and a soldier, and he interfered and told the soldier that he saw everything, that he is a witness, and that he will testify in court against him, and that the same soldier is the one who took his ID as revenge. It did seem this particular soldier had a personal thing against him, we saw him yelling at him with reference to prior encounters.We called the checkpoint commander, but he wasn't there, and by the time we came back from the North there was no trace of any of them so we don't know what happened.We saw a man smartly dressed, having some loud conversation with the soldiers, the atmosphere was heating up and they were shoving him northwards. Qalandya north, 5 p.m.We heard the sound of beating and cries of someone being beaten from within the closed shaded Budke. The soldiers didn't seem startled or disturbed which brought a wave of panic upon us. We screamed: 'go, check, you are humans aren't you'. We were given the obtuse thick complacent answers, 'it wouldn't happen had there not been a good reason', etc... The man, it seems, was not severely beaten, however we learned that while all this was happening another man was lying unconscious in the Budke as well, not attended.This was a man from Semiramis who was ill. He was shot in the neck a year ago. He was standing in line with his sister and a few children waiting their turn to cross to the South. They were on their way to their uncle in E-ram to attend a family gathering. He came up to the soldiers and said he was a sick man and that he wanted to be allowed to pass. The soldiers, besides refusing his request, ordered him to the end of the line. A row erupted of which there are a few versions. The soldiers say he began the fight with a "Caffa" (I think it means a shove, a blow, that which means that his hand touched the soldier's body), he was dragged to the Budke, probably beaten, but then he suddenly lost his consciousness and fell, and remained unconscious since then. The sister who was becoming hysterical from one second to the next, eventually started screaming 'that he is going to die, that he must be taken to the hospital'...Due to her screams, which the soldiers called 'Mehooma' (disruption?), they closed the checkpoint, pedestrians were forbidden to cross. The soldiers said they called an army doctor, but they didn't seem concerned by this whole thing though, insisting that he gave a blow to a SOLDIER first.More soldiers arrived for arresting the other man who was beaten before. They too weren't concerned about the unconscious man. The sister by then was screaming incessantly. Time passed, a Palestinian ambulance happened to pass and they beckoned him to come. The ambulance crew was told that they could treat the man on the spot but not drive him to a hospital. Then someone may have suggested he be taken to Ramalla, 'but his file is in Hadassah his sister implored. They have blue IDs, 'he must go there'. Finally a resourceful Palestinian (their neighbour from Semiramis) called Magen David, who were not allowed to go through E-Ram towards Qalandya.We were busy calling everyone, the DCO commander, the checkpoint commander, the Moked, the army district office, all to no avail, nothing seemed to penetrate this collective obtuseness. Finally the Palestinian ambulance, we are told, would be allowed to drive to E-Ram to meet the Israeli one waiting there.At 5.40, the man was laid on a stretcher, and into the ambulance.It seems that if you happen to be dying, or giving birth, or just plain sick between E-Ram and Qalandya, you are doomed.We will follow up as to the man's condition.During all this time, this supposedly ordered army doctor, never arrived.Qalandya South 5.45 p.m. dark, empty, a long line of cars.E-Ram 6.20 p.m. a long line of cars towards Jerusalem.