Qalandiya, Tuesday, 28.3.06, PMObservers: Roni J., Idit S. (guest), Lucina and Stefano (Italian journalists), Roni H. (reporting)Countdown in Qalandiya Although announced for the 27th of March, the transition of Qalandiya checkpoint to a “border terminal” has not taken place today either. It might happen tomorrow or after tomorrow, but it certainly will happen! This is the big concern for hundreds of Palestinians, who could still pass today without any ID check but who are anxious of what will be their “verdict” on doom’s day, when passage will be closed for those who have neither a Jerusalem ID nor an entry permit to Israel. This is the topic of all conversations! It is election day and tension runs high particularly at the vehicle crossing, where soldiers and Palestinians remain still in direct contact. Drivers complain about waits of one and an half hours. Checking is thorough and takes between 5 and 10 minutes. When we arrive there at 16:00 we notice on the lane to Ramallah a car which seems to be taken apart by the soldiers and whose passengers are kept at gunpoint. The police has already arrived and participates in the search but leaves after a while. The car is being reassembled, but the driver and another guy are not released. We cannot find out what they are suspected of – there are too many contradictory commentaries by the Palestinians and no information, of course, by the soldiers. Also our telephone calls remain unanswered. It could be that at this stage they just have to “learn their lesson” and be punished. ! ; The driver’s brother wants to bring the detainees some drinks but the soldier does not let him come near. On our question “why”, we receive the answer that he does not know what is in the plastic bag. Before we leave we noticed that the soldier nevertheless brings the drinks to the detainees. When we leave at 17:20, the car and the 2 men are still there! Three buses with children from Bet Iksa leave Ramallah and are thoroughly searched!On our way to the south we stand in lane 3 with other women and wait. After 10 minutes we receive the order to go to lane 1. All of us rush to lane 1 and there we have to wait again. There is quite a lot of anger among the women and we have to wait another 10 minutes before we are allowed to pass. No ID checks at all. The north – south car lane is almost completed and according to a soldier this will be the passage for people with Jerusalem ID or with permits. The other Palestinians will have to drive on the lane which is used today (?) On our way back to Ar-Ram checkpoint there is a long queue already from Ar-Ram junction ( last week there was an opening in the wall to turn to Bir Naballah. Today it was closed again) Our driver overtakes the long line and when we arrive at the junction where we usually get off the taxi, we notice a traffic jam which seems to be completely undoable and which totally blocked the traffic in all directions! No movement whatsoever. Why? Because at 15:30 some soldiers have put concrete blocks in the middle of the junction and the cars have to do “acrobatic exercises” in order to be able to pass. The car line to the north reaches Neve Yaakob! A new fence (of about 2 1/2 m) has been put up in the middle of the road from Ar-Ram checkpoint down to the square where the concrete separation wall begins!! This is probably the forerunner of the wall!