Qalandiya

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Aug-30-2003
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Ar-Ram- 7.15 very few cars and
pedestrians, IDF manning the checkpoint.

Qalandya-Short queues moving quickly because not many people are
let through. Passage is only for blue ID's and certain permits,
both soldiers and volunteers are strict and enthusiastic about
following and implementing the regulations . The regulations for
today are:

-Age limit age for passage is 16-50 (45 last week) both for women
and men.

-Merchants with valid permits cannot pass since the terror attack
on bus #2 ten days ago.

-People coming back from Ramallah who have their address (in id)
beyond the checkpoint cannot pass without permit.

-no passage for teachers before the 1/9.

-Tora Bora is not passable, the soldiers ambushing and
hunting.

-Surda checkpoint is back in business, earth mounds are piled there
again and passage is possible only by making the 2 km passage on
foot. This information we got both from the taxi drivers and from
the soldiers. Ein Arik checkpoint is back too .

We met no humanitarian cases but only very angry Palestinians. We
nagged and assisted to enable passage for a large family living in
Ar-Ram and coming back from a family wedding, this was exceptional
as the parents were almost 50. Amir the nice Qalandya commander is
no longer considerate and flexible, in fact he became impatient and
short tempered.

Confiscated vehicles: The taxi drivers said there were new
confiscated vehicles though we heard that there is a new
instruction from above to stop these confiscations.

When we saw that the peddlers stalls are burnt with the fresh smell
of ashes we were told that the soldiers burn them repeatedly at
night, but the soldiers denied it totally.

Back at the southern side we witnessed the capturing of a
Palestinian man by border policemen who claimed that he fled from
arrest. The soldiers that rearrested him left his transit on a spot
that caused the others inconvenient traffic jam, they added that if
no one was to come and claim the car (israeli) they will blow
it.

Ar-Ram -On our way back at Ar-Ram were few detaineesinfo-icon caught
bypassing the checkpoint, one was 48 yrs, the soldier we talked to
said he regrets he can hold them only for three hours and if it was
up to him he would detain them longer.

We left with that familiar dreadful feeling knowing that we
witnessed preparing the grounds for the next terror attacks in the
name of taking measures to prevent them.