Ar-Ram, Qalandiya, 19.9.2005, Monday PMWatchers; Liyat D. Naomi A. I. (reporting)Because all were all at Shfayim, Jerusalem was our responsibility and we did not have much time. We decided to go to Qalandiya. Lately at Abu Dis and the container nothing much has been happening. And dafke it turns out that the problems were there. 14.30 Ar-Ram We saw no border police. A small but steady stream of pedestrians passing quickly. A lane of cars. Besides the checking of ids a blue policeman stands and checks carefully by what means he can give the transit in front of him a report. In the end he finds something and tells him to wait at the side. Then he screams at a truck driver who is loading stones and earth not to dare to move the truck. Neither he nor we understood what was happening. Afterwards we understood that he had taken a heavier load than is allowed …or he is allowed! The policeman shouted that he was lucky that he had stopped him and not waited until he had started to drive and then given him a report. But he did photograph him on his car tv. Some of the taxi drivers waiting for passengers tried to find favour with him. Maybe that is the only way they can save themselves from further problems. We went by transit to Qalandiya …the driver refusing payment.15.15 Qalandiya I had not been there for some time and was horrified at the deterioration. The stalls standing between the exhausts of the cars. The filth and the misery is much worse than I remember. The soldiers did not bother them today. Usually they say that the soldiers come in the late afternoon. At the checkpoint people pass fairly quickly showing their ids. One person is sent back. A soldier even helps an old lady with her bags. We went through the path which has wire on either side (like a jail) to the checkpoint of the cars. An ambulance comes from the north. A women soldier tells a male soldier to hurry up…”She might give birth here” . But before we need to interfere the ambulance passes . We meet Muhammed of the embroidery. “Everyone is at Shayim today…right”16.10 Back to Ar-Ram The border police have stopped all traffic and pedestrians and it is not clear why. It seems to us that they must have gotten some message or that they thought that someone was trying to get away from them. Their arms were loaded, the woman soldier at the hut stands with her weapon pointed at us directly and at the pedestrians waiting to be checked. After 5 minutes everything goes back to normal after “Back Back, one by one, on the line or I do not let you pass.” We stayed a while and left at 16.10.