Ar-Ram, Qalandiya 03.07.05 p.m.Observers: Ayala Z, Neta E, Tamar P (reporting)Ar-Ram: 3:00 p.m.: We counted 20 detainees at the checkpoint, most of them standing in the burning sun, and a group of women sitting in the shade. Some of them said that they were caught around 11 a.m. and were held there since. The commander of the checkpoint said that they had been detaineed “only” an hour and a half. We called Shaadi who promised to check it out, and when the soldiers saw us speaking with the Palestinians, they were all moved to another place — including the women — far from us, to the other side of the building. From that point, everyone was in the sun. We called Shaadi again and he said that within a minute, he would deal with the matter, and we saw that the first of the detainees was being released and waved goodbye to us. Believing that the rest would then be set free, we continued on to Qalandiya.Qalandiya: Near the cehckoint, we met a Kfar Akeb resident who worked for the Jerusalem municipality and must cross to Jerusalem every day. He complained about having to pay Arnona for which he received no services, and described the insults and rough treatment that he gets from the soldiers at the checkpoint in the early morning hours before MachsomWatch women arrive. There were endless lines of traffic on both sides of the checkpoint. The southern intersection was crowded during our whole stay with little movement. We could not speak with the commanding officers (they were in a meeting) and the DCO representative, Anton, refused to speak with us. That is the example of someone who becomes an outstanding soldier!! It would be better if there were no DCO representative at all. The security commander from the engineers brigade, Meir B., went to the area of the peddlers and chased them away and collected their i.d.’s and put them in his pocket. When we asked why he was taking their i.d.’s, he said that they must be taught not to bring their goods there. We called Amir, the division head (0507787175) and complained about this behavior. The army is not a branch of the education ministry. Until the end of our watch, the i.d.’s were not returned. We were the witnesses to the meeting of a bridegroom from Ramallah and his family and a long line of cars where the bride and her family were waiting. The meeting took place on the northern side of the checkpoint, with the romantic setting of soldiers and their guns, the fences and walls, and Anton, who was pushed into the frame of the picture. At the end of our watch, we met several of the detainees from Ar-Ram. We learned that after we left, the border police stopped releasing the detainees and they were kept there until 6:00 p.m.