Afternoon

A-Ram and Qalandia checkpoints, 15:15 Wednesday PM, 31.12.2003 MachsomWatch Observers: Yvonne M., Daniela Y., Leinie K. Natanya G. (reporting)Guest: H. C. (a vistor from LA) A-Ram checkpoint was quiet and at the entrance to Qalandiya two very well-spoken young people were talking to the woman soldier and saying to her, "Why should we not hate you -- but we try not to." [D.Y.] "You are taking the most precious thing we have - our dignity.. all our water is taken by the Israeli goverment... " and she at least was listening.It was a very bad session. A new group of soldiers on duty, who flatly refused to speak to us in any way. Four women soldiers... and a small soldier, as round as he was tall who could be a junior replica of [PM Ariel] Sharon. They were absolutely awful. There was one who was guarding with her rifle at the sentry booth on the little hill, who seemed to us that she was probably mentally disturbed. She kept on shouting at the other soldiers who were standing at the inspecting booths. At one point she was yelling like a 3-year-old, “Ani lo rotzah” ( I don’t want to, I don’t want...”) It was actually embarrassing.When we asked the soldiers why they would not talk to us, if we were so dangerous, they said that they had orders and one woman, a Russian immigrant, said that the reason was “classified...” There was little relaxation of the rules and there were two cases who weren't allowed to pass:(a) A woman of 50 who had a card for Kupat Cholim [HMO health clinic] and had forgotten her ID. (b) A young woman who works in Qalandiya and lives near the checkpoint in A-Ram. About two hours later Uriel [the officer on duty] came to the area. We spoke to him and he allowed them through. There was a driver who had an altercation with a woman soldier and he was shouting and screaming because she had called him “sharmutah” [whore].We did not interfere because Uriel was handling it quietly and later, though we did not see exactly when, the driver and his enormous truck were on their way. One of the woman soldiers was heard saying to another one: “Don’t do that; she [meaning me, N.G.] is writing things down”. Many of the Palestinians complained bitterly that they were not treated with respect by young men and women who could have been their children. And again we heard: ”This is where you make more suicide bombers”.