Summary: It was a quiet afternoon,
after a very stormy morning.

Background: Two days after the two suicide attacks in Tzrifin and
in Jerusalem, there are many hot alerts, and a total closure in the
checkpoints. Since yesterday there is military activity in
Ramallah. Pending is the decision to deport Arafat. We got reliable
information from an Israeli journalist, who crossed Qalandya at
0900. The southbound checkpoint had been hermetically closed, even
for blue IDs, humanitarian and medical cases, diplomats, etc.
Hundreds of people had gathered on both sides of the checkpoint,
and the crowd on the northern side started to throw stones on the
soldiers, who responded by shooting over the crowd. Luckily, nobody
was injured, but there was a stampede when the crowd fled
away.

A-Ram, 1600: Very quiet. Not many pedestrians. Cars are checked in
three parallel lanes, and although the checking is thorough, the
waiting time is short. On the parallel dirt road (west of the main
road), border policemen are ambushing bypassers, hiding in a
building under construction. Qalandya, 1700: No signs of the
morning tumult. Different shift of soldiers — older volunteers.
Very few pedestrians, most of them are let through, though
officilally only humanitarian cases can pass. A few cars are
passing northbound, none in the opposite direction. Y,, in charge,
and his people, behave decently enough. There are several detainees
from Tora Bora. They have been waiting “only” one hour,
but their IDs are with the soldiers who stopped them, not at the
checkpoint. Between A-Ram and French Hill were three additional
mobile checkpoints. At the first one, just 20 meter south of A-Ram
checkpoint, blue police were giving parking tickets to the transit
drivers!! — Sheer abuse, nothing to do with security.