Qalandiya, MONDAY 30.10.06 p.m.Observers: Yael Y, Ruth A, Noam K, Elana D (reporting)14:00 – 17:30Ar-Ram, Crossing into Qalandiya, Palestinian Vocational School in AtarotNot having been in this area for over a year and a half, we felt like tourists. At b>Ar-Ram, we watched the traffic. We saw pedestrians who came from the north west, turn around near the checkpoint and return because there was no passageway in the wall. Traffic that was going north was not delayed. Cars on their way south were checked in a short period of time, about 5 minutes. There were a lot of soldiers at the checkpoint (apparently there was a change of guard). We were not permitted to speak with three detainees — in Israel without permits — who were standing near the checkpoint. An old man complained that all those travelling on buses were made to get off and they had to walk a considerable distance in order to cross the checkpoint, while the empty bus crosses to the southern side and then they are allowed to get on it again.About 100 meters north of the checkpoint, the gate in the fence was closed in a careless manner and it would be a simple matter to get through it at night. We parked our car north of the Qalandiya crossing and walked around to the post. There were no lines, no one turned to us and we had no difficulty in crossing the passageway in both directions. We did not see the DCL officer at the site and it was not clear what his hours are for being there. We asked one of the soldiers to explain the procedures at the place and she tried, without success, to get hold of an officer who would do so. According to her, the officer was at the vehicle passage but we did not see him there when we went out. There were no detainees, but here too passengers on buses must get off and go through the passage by foot.We debated about whether to continue to Anata, but because we were unfamiliar with the area, we decided not too, and went into the industrial area of Atarot where business is flourishing in contrast to our last visit there, apparently because of the sense of security that they have from the wall. We visited the vocational school that is located in the area. We had met the principal of the school previously and heard with great sorrow from his young replacement that he had died a year ago, just after he was offered the position of education minister of the Palestinian Authority. He refused, contending that he belonged at the school which he had led for 40 years and where he lived with his family. He succeeded in keeping the place. On the UN map that was handing on the wall of the principal’s office, a large white mark appears of the head of a pin in the midst of the large area of the industrial area which is in red. Since the place has strategic importance because it overlooks the entire area, the army tried to take over the structure. The principal refused to move and succeeded in saving it for his strudents and teachers. It is very impressive, both in its design and in the way it is maintained. The previous time that we spoke with the principal, he was worried about the future of the school, and whether the wall would allow for his teachers and pupils to get to it. He also complained about the threats he received because he hires teaches from the West Bank who don’t have work permits. The new principal spoke about him with great admiration and said that almost all the students received permits to learn at the school, but that was not the case with the teachers and the workers. Of the 39 teachers, only 7 received permits and Israeli Arab teachers prefer to work elsewhere. Among the workers who are not teachers and who live with the students in the dorms, not one got a work permit. In such a situation, the students have to travel long distances and are worn out. He apologized that he was not able to give us a hot drink. We were embarassed at what we saw and what we heard.