Anata, Ar-Ram, Qalandiya, Friday 16.12.2005 AMWatchers: Tirza L’ (reporting), Leah L’8.30 At Anata little movement and we left after a few minutes.8.45 Ar-Ram The post is manned today by soldiers the air force and border police. About 8 people were being detained on the northern side, all of them men and one or two youngsters. One mother arrives and waits with her son. They had been caught without permits but they say that they were not yet in Israeli territory while the soldiers say they were. The commander said that they would not be detained unnecessarily. The soldier was filling in the reports and then they would be called in one by one and questioned. Two of them show us papers to prove that they are on their way to the American consulate to get visas but this they cannot do as they cannot get into Israel. We show the soldiers the papers but with no luck. A taxi arrives with a man and woman. The woman says she has forgotten her id so they alight. Only after 40 minutes do they call the first detainee who is questioned for about 7 minutes and then with his id he leaves. Every few minutes one goes in and then leaves.9.45 Qalandiya The pedestrian lane is full of barbed wire, rubbish and ground dug up all over. Not much movement of people. There is tension in the air. In the pedestrian lane we see long lines of people in each carousel reaching outside . The soldiers refuse to talk to us but say that that only blue ids can pass. A man with a big case arrives. This is the last day of his permit and he has to get to Gaza. Two soldiers tell him stubbornly to go back without listening to what he has to say. Leah phones to find out when he can pass and Ofir says only next week and that he should try to pass at Sudra or Bir Zeit but he says that there also they would not let him through. We go to the other side of the carousel.9.55 At the checkpoint for cars there are about 30 and a driver calls to us in anger. Only one lane is open and not two as is the usual procedure. The soldiers check each car carefully including a woman who has to show them everything in her boot. The check takes about 4 minutes. That is 20 cars would have to wait 80 minutes. One driver, a Jerusalemite says he waited for an hour and a half.We asked one of the soldiers why the second lane was not open and he said there were not enough soldiers. At the checkpoint we see about 9 soldiers and 2 more go past us. All the time other sodleirs come and go. When the soldiers eat or drink the line is held up for a couple more minutes because no one checks. We phone Ofir and eventually speak to the spokeswoman who says she will do what she can. We wait about 20 minutes and the line is halved. It seems that before we came people were detained. A car arrives with two young men who try to be smart and wait until the woman soldier tells them to open the boot. A box is taken out and put on the floor and he has to show everything in it even the smallest item and then they go on their way.We phone the spokeswoman again and she asks if they have not opened another lane. We say no but the connection is bad and it is hard to hear. We go back to the pedestrian lane and meet photographers of Reuter who tell us that all checkpoints are closed to those who do not have blue ids. Each time the carousel opens people pass and then it is locked again with people inside. A soldier shouts out that anyone who does not have a blue id is wasting his time. 10.55 Ar-Ram 30 cars waiting to get into Jerusalem. It takes about 25 minutes to pass.