Afternoon

Qalandya South 4p.m.Everyone allowed through. A soldier sprawled out in the booth hardly paid any attention to the IDs dutifully raised towards him.From afar, we saw a row of 9 white impounded transits (with Israeli plates) in the airport.Qalandya North 4.10p.m.There were many pedestrians and many soldiers. We went down to speak to the transit drivers hoping they would unveil the mystery of the transit scene. We saw that some peddlers have returned to display their merchandize. We went to see the wall we understood was being built. To the left behind the airport, one could see a bulldozer straightening the terrain for the explicit purpose of erecting the wall there. We went to tora-bora, wallowing through piles of mud and climbing quite steep piles of dirt and stones. We met some people on the way who had been turned back at the checkpoint. The taxi drivers told us that the confiscated taxis had been brought there a few days earlier, after having been caught on Betunia road. Their keys, IDs, driver's licenses and car papers had been taken for checkup, then returned to them. The vehicles, however, were impounded.B, one of the drivers whose transit was impounded was told that he must pay 2000 shekels, and only then could he get his car back in 40 days, B tried to bargain. At first the officer was willing to lower the 'price' to 20 days, then 10, then the demand of money was removed and the officer said B. should come at 8 a.m the next day, ask for Heit (the Hebrew letter) and presumably his taxi would be returned to him.He and others report money demands on different pretexts. One was told he owed 5000 shekels to the income tax and will only receive his taxi after payment (to the soldier??).