Qalandiya, Wed 4.6.08, Afternoon

The checkpoint -
terminal so-called sterile at 15.50 and high technology is present again as was
at the beginning of the second intifada. All the appearances of small wicked
deeds which we have seen at the less developed checkpoints. Once again carts of
vendors are confiscated. Yesterday two were confiscated, one of the coffee
vendor and one of the sweet seller. The confiscation of the one was carried out
according to the vendor by soldiers of Ducifat who gave it over to the police
and they handed it over to the municipality of Jerusalem to the Department of
Supervision. The slogan of the removal was "the demand to remove wrecks of
cars."

The form:

The goods were
confiscated by the Department of Supervion of Nafat. (Northm, the Duckfat
patrol. Jerusalem 5835148 ( which does not
reply).

The contents
confiscated: 1 ballon gas, 1 milk container, one water container and a heating
device, sugar, coffee, a tin finjan, a car.

We approached the
municipality of
Jerusalem and at the
information we were informed that the story was not true and any this is not the
way things are done.

When we asked the
responsible authority at the checkpoint why the carts had been taken he said
"They can open their kiosks in Ramallah."

The poor man whose cart
was taken said that he has many children and no way now of making a living. He
has no permit and he cannot get to Jerusalem to deal with the matter and to get
his cart back. He said he had not been warned that he could not have a cart in
the area of the checkpoint. In fact the exact opposite...in the morning he and the
soldiers would greet one another. Now according to the drivers was that one
soldier demanded Marlborough cigarettes and another had decided
that no one could go through his turnstile with food. Another turnstile allows
food. These are the private enterprises of the soldiers and not policy.

The people have
developed a sense of humour to combat the pressure and the humiliations. The
women who push the turnstiles even when they are closed tell one another jokes.
There is always the fear that one will get stuck in the turnstiles even though
efforts are made to keeps the checkpoint sterile with no contact between the
soldiers and the Palestinians. There is always the desire to show who is boss.

The motto is to bother
the Palestinians and break them