Ar Ram, Qalandiya, Sunday, 16.04.06 p.m.Observers: Phyllis W., Tamar F. We decided this time to go by foot from Beit Hanina to Qalandiya and back. At the well known Ar Ram checkpoint, despite the presence of 3 border police, there was no activity and inspections were not carried out. The soldiers explained that people with blue i.d.’s can go out freely and they will be checked as the cross into Jerusalem and from it. Residents of the right hand side of Beit Hanina, residents of Shuafat on the left (residents of Beit Hanina do not undergo additional inspections and residents of Shuafat have their i.d.’s checked again on the left hand of the road, about 30 meters from the Ar Ram checkpoint). The soldier, who acknowledged that he doesn’t know the reason for the additional inspection said that it does not look good, but those are the orders. “This is the stage in which we let the Palestinians become accustomed” Accustomed to what? It is not clear to us and not clear to the soldiers. On our way, we met an old friend, a wagon owner who was a recognized porter at the Qalandiya checkpoint and now sells cakes which he makes. He pushes his wagon and markets his wares. Another wagon driver converted his wagon to a moveable kiosk for selling coffee. We made our way along the right hand side of the wall and saw many shops that went out of business and closed. In order to get to the Qalandiya checkpoint, we had to go around and reach it from the north. The checkpoint itself was quiet. Very few people were crossing. Soldiers from the engineering unit were replaced by border police who are responsible for security. At the checkpoint for vehicles, two lanes were operating and passage was quick enough, however several people said that they allow passage only to the driver himself. If he is transporting other people, (only if they are members of his family), they must get out of the cars and go to the passageway for pedestrians and undergo inspection there and to meet the driver again on the southern part of the checkpoint. That is what gives the impression of quick passage at the checkpoint for cars and that of a busy checkpoint at the terminal which has proven to be one big white elephant.We returned to the “Israeli” side of the wall, the soldier who was posted at the classification station, a group of children on bicycles passed. They are residents from Beit Hanina on their way to the right hand side of the checkpoint with orange ribbons flying on their handlebars.