Qalandiya

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Aug-17-2003
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06:20 Border police put up a temporary
barrier just below the junction of Hanevi'im and Queen Helena
streets. While awaiting the arrival of the team, one of us
photographed a group of Palestinians being held for "routine
checks". The border policemen said that was against the law
--"because you cannot photograph us" -- and demanded
identification. Her ID was taken away "for checking", but
returned very quickly.

Qalandya: The situation also seemed quiet. An ambulance driver had
a child aboard whom he was taking to Jerusalem for an operation.
This, he was assured, was in order but his passengers' papers would
have to be checked. As a result, only one parent was allowed to
accompany the child and the mother made her way back on foot alone.
At the pedestrian barrier, two women, one clearly older, were
arguing that the younger was under 16 and needed no papers. But she
had no papers to prove it. Finally, she produced a green ID that
showed she was in fact 21...

Back at A-Ram things were far less calm than they had been at
06.30. The soldiers seemed incapable of anything but shouting and
threatening. A group of young women were held up although their
papers were in order. "You want me to let her go through when
she sneers at me that she rejoices over every suicide bomber in Tel
Aviv!" 15 min. later he had cooled down somewhat and
grudgingly waved them on. Less fortunate was an elderly woman who
said she was from Deheishe (and whose ID backed that claim). A
check showed, said the soldier, that she was from Jericho and
despite her age, she could not proceed. An angry shouting match
followed and there was nothing we could do. The explanation, such
as it was, was that papers acceptable for Qalandya -- are not
acceptable for A-Ram, as the curfew rules are not the same in these
2 places. Another woman had a sheaf of medical documents -- "A
forgery, I'm sure" said the soldier, refusing to let her
through. The woman became more and more insistent as the time for
her appointment got nearer. Then the soldier himself suggested that
she deposit her green ID with him, with the promise that she would
get it back if she returned by 15:00. But she said she needed her
ID, and suddenly, the soldier angrily waved her on-- "I can't
take any more of her screaming," he screamed at us in turn. A
driver, whether by mistake or not, used the ambulance lane. He was
pulled off to one side and told: "You will wait there now for
as long as it takes for you to learn that you must do what you are
told!"