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Observers: Aya K.,Roni H.
Jun-22-2004
| Afternoon

Qalandiya 22.6.04, PMObservers: Aya K., Roni H. (reporting) guests: Ofer, Mechtild, IngridAr-Ram checkpoint seems almost deserted. The results of the plan tosegregate the Palestinian population from Jerusalem can already be felt! Thediversion of the traffic flow from the historical south – north routeJerusalem – Ramallah to eastern and western detour roads results in theemtying out of the neighborhood of Beit Hanina. No customers in coffee shopsand stores, no peddlars to sell drinks to drivers stuck in traffic jams. On the narrow lane which is still open in the direction of Qalandiya, one can seehundreds of eight-meters long concrete slabs lying on the ground like knocked downtomb stones.Qalandiya also seems deserted. Few pedestrians and even fewer cars. Theathmosphere is of the calm before the storm. People delay any non-basicactivity and wait to see how the wall will affect their future everydaylife. At the checkpoint the usual occupation routine. People are sent backbecause of having the wrong address and detained because of trying tobypass. Friends report us that on Saturday afternoon an undercover unit of the armyhad made an incursion into Qalandiya camp and violently arrested five people,who were sitting in a coffee shop and playing backgammon. The arrest wasaccompanied by shootings and the throwing of teargas.

  • Jerusalem

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    • The places in East Jerusalem which are visited routinely by MachsomWatch women are Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah. During the month of Ramadan, also the Old City and its environs are monitored.

  • Qalandiya Camp

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    • Qalandiya Camp The camp was founded east of the village of Qalandiya in 1949 and became inhabited by Palestinian refugees from Jerusalem and the surrounding villages whose homes had remained on the Israeli side of the armistice lines. The camp was included in Jerusalem’s municipal jurisdiction after 1967, and since the erection of the Separation Wall has been disconnected from the city and become no-man’s-land between Jerusalem and Ramallah. It numbers about 10,000 inhabitants and many of them hold a Jerusalem ID. It is considered one of the most difficult camps both from a criminal and a ‘security’ standpoint, and also one of the most neglected and impoverished. It suffers from poverty, neglect, crime, illegal construction, and the lack of proper municipal services. Terrorist attackers have come from there, and it often seems ‘security’ incidents, numerous incursions, and arrests, including the killing of youths following stone-throwing.  
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