Ar-Ram, Qalandiya, 06.06.06 a.m.Observers: Efrat N, Mor B (reporting)Ar-Ram 7:10 – 7:50At the checkpoint, there were two detainees who were released and sent home within minutes of our arrival. As soon as we got there, the commander of the checkpoint (A) asked that we identify ourselves and move back somewhat. The soldiers continued to take note and to tell us to move back during the whole time that we were there.It appears that the commander creates a stiff atmosphere, very harsh and even aggressive. The soldiers have no patience to listen to people and they wave them away with shouts, crudeness and light pushes. Even the inspections of the children’s bags are carried out with great exactitude. No one, without exception, can pass if he is not listed by the DCL. Even an unfortunate trip leader, who speaks excellent Hebrew, who had a group waiting for him and who had a tour guide’s badge, was not allowed to cross (despite his pleas) and was roughly turned back with shouts from the checkpoint. 7:50 – 8:50There was a line of 45 vehicles heading south blocking the intersection. We clocked that the wait for each car was about 20 minutes. The DCL opened a few minutes before 8:30. A woman with a disabled child in a baby carriage tried to pass via the turnstile but got stuck between the gates and had to go back. At last, the soldiers instructed her to hold the baby in her arms and to pass with her via the turnstile. It’s fortunate that there was a nice man there who folded up the carriage and passed it through. The soldiers did not lift a finger. Two lanes were open. While we were there, one of them was closed.9:00 Ar-RamThere were about 10 detainees. A senior officer arrived who created a more pleasant atmosphere. Apparently, before we arrived, there was some misunderstanding and some shouts. One of the soldiers calmed down two men and explained to them that he could arrest them for that kind of behavior but he would not do that. To the best of our knowledge, the two men came from Jerusalem to find someone in a house close to the checkpoint. Because they did not cross through the checkpoint when they arrived, they did not think that they had to pass through it when they went back. The soldiers who did not know where they came from stopped them for clarification. A police van arrived and took all the detainees together with the officer to some unknown destination.