Ar-Ram, Atarot, Bir Nabala, Qalandiya, Sun 10.2.08, Afternoon

Ar-Ram checkpoint . 2.45
Some Palestinian cars are waiting
+  UN cars and amongst them cars on which were
written in Hebrew "Doctors for peace."

Qalandiya checkpoint. 3.00
In the waiting area of the shed
we went to see the extensive renovations which had been carried out on the
toilets a few weeks ago and truly the work has ended. The toilets both for men
and women smell of new paints, the blue colour can be seen through the windows
which are barred and we saw the new toilets and basins
which had been put in. But the thorn in the rose is that the doors are locked
and who needs the services will not receive them.

At the checkpoint itself two checked areas, 1 and 4,
were working slowly. At the DCO people were waiting outside the locked turnstile
pressing again and again on the intercom device. Phyllis phoned the DCo and they
said that she had to phone the operations room of the envelope area.
War room? War against whom? They said that immediately someone from the DCO
would come and solve the problem. Case came and allowed them through and said
that the x-ray machine in the third turnstile was not working and that he sees
what is happening another screen and has come himself to open each time that
about 10 people were waiting. And what if there are less….until when should they
wait. And why dafke 10

We ourselves went into the waiting area where we found
that not only the x-ray machine was not working but also not the turnstiles
which lead to the offices. The Palestinians had to revert to pantomiming their
desire to enter or exit the offices so as to draw the attention of the soldiers
sitting in the "sterile" offices. And this also if they wanted to take through
prams. We learned that this gate is also called the humanitarian gate. This is
a new addition to the new school of army words.

3.40 We went to the car lane and saw no dog trainers in
the 20 minutes that we were there. 2 women were made to get out of the bus and
go through the pedestrian lane.

In the centre of the car lane 3 sad flags waves, one of the army unit, one of the state of Israel and one of the police. From afar we saw the
checkpoint of Atarot where there were 20 cars waiting behind the turning to
road 443.

Bir Naballah.
For the last 3 weeks border
police have been stationed there. The soldiers of the engineering corps watch
from the pillbox. The checkpoint which we call Bir Naballah has been called
the "Rafat checkpoint" by the Palestinian since it was moved because it is at
the entrance of this village and the army calls it "the embroidery of
life" and we think this is so because it manages to completely ruin any
framework of life for those wishing to pass through it. One man.his workshop is in the centre of Bir
Naballah approached us and complained about a soldier and his actions.

This is the same soldier about
whom I complained some weeks ago to his commander, and was
promised that he would be removed from the checkpoint. For some weeks we did not
hear about him but it seems that in the last while he has made a comeback and
sometimes detains the driver for hours and causes long lines of 10s of cars,
insults them, humiliates both young and old and does not spare his arm using
violence against anyone he does not like.

__._,_.___