South Hebron, Thursday 29/9/05, AMYe’ela, Shira, Leah S (reporting in English) 06:45-10:00Sansana checkpoint: Israeli Arabs held up by Border Police soldiers for more than 15 mn., on their way to work on the Separation Wall, very upset that are treated like that even though they are Israeli citizens. Soldiers explain that they hold up “suspicious looking” types only, for checking with the police computor for civil transgressors (not security issues). We referred them to the Border Police Public Conmolaints Officer for phoning in their official complaint about this procedure.A military vehicle arrives, driven by a Bedouin scouter, leading to the checkpoint a Palestinian transit vehicle. ID’s taken from the men in it for checking, but the checkpoint men refuse to help, claiming that this should be checked by the military and not the police. We are told not to speak with the Palestinians, but we insist, and sure enough, the vehicle is released shortly – the men had been accused of trying to get into Israel without permits, while they were simply on their way to work in Palestine. Ramadin’s new checkpoint: only Ramadin residents are allowed into the village. Today municipal elections are held in Palestine, and one of the candidates for Ramadin’s mayorship waits at the checkpoint for men from the outside who had left their cars in Ramadin and need to come to drive his loyals to the polls. When they arrive with a Ramadin taxi, the taxi driver is allowed to pass but they are held up, and the candidate drives to Ramadin to get the permits for them. The only people allowed into Ramadin are teachers, who wear UN jackets for proof of innocence. The checkpoint is manned by polite Golani soldiers, their officer says that he allows back-to-back transfer of necessities from trucks that arrive from the north into vehicles of the village. We note the elctricity wires throuhout the village and ask the candidate about this – infrastructure donated by the Norwegians, more money collected from residents, and soon enough the village will be connected, unlike so many unrecognized villages inside Israel.The girls’ school at Shayuch junction: taxi drivers tell us about a hit-and-run accident a few days ago, a settler hit a school girl. We decide to speak with the school principal about this and are welcomed in her office with tea. The school – from the building atchitecture to the official dark safari suit and white kefiah worn by the janitor – looks very British Mandate (and Jordanian…). Principal reports that this is the second accident there, the previous one had hit harder but that driver had not run away from the scene. Most of the school population comes from the other (east) side of the road. Crossing the road, which is particularly wide at this point and the traffic here moves very fast, is dangerous, especially for the younger girls. Principal suggested a bridge that would separate the north/south Jewish traffic above from the east/west Palestinian traffic below. At the very least, we promised to pass on the request for assisted safe group crossing twice a day, between 07:30 and 08:00 in the morning, and 12:30 and 13:00 at noon. In addition, a narrow walk should be paved for pedestrians to cross safely in the winter the huge dirt-and-rocks barricade that blocks the exit of the road near the school.While having tea in the principal’s office we heard about another recent incident from another woman (the school secretary?). She lives alone with her mother in one Hebron neihborhood. One night a group of soldiers came in and simply slept in their apartment until morning. Inter alia she was annoyed by the immodesty of the situation…. And so goes the occupation.