Qalandiya, Sun 23.9.12, Afternoon

Translation: Ruth Fleishman

A long and sad line of woman, children and babies was passing through the checkpoint at the end of a day of prison visits.

From one stretcher to another stretcher, from one ambulance to another ambulance, in the back-to-back procedure, a young man was being transferred after surgery to his home in Ramallah.

Twenty five men, who were caught by the border police hunters at Zur Hadasa in the early morning hours, had been detained during the entire day. They had been taken five at a time to Qalandiya checkpoint ("they don't have a vehicle large enough to contain them all, they said…) and from there they were sent off to Palestinian territories. Among them were people whose homes are in Hebron and Bethlehem.

Stones were thrown at the pillbox, grenades shot at the stone throwers and a lot of stifling tear gas was in the air. That's the way it has been going on every day in the afternoon for nearly ten days, so said acquaintances. "It's because the people don't have money", one person said.

Some of the stand owners hurried to put away their products and disappear, those who couldn't afford to lose a few Shekels even in the midst of danger to their bodies and health kept running between the stones and grenades and seducing the people rushing to and from the checkpoint with sunglasses, Koran versus, chewing gum, cellphone appliances and other items that nobody really needs but buys them mostly as a gesture of kindness.  

And Abed, the owner of soft drinks stand which is made out of Pringles boxes that resemble colorful ice cream scoops, pointed towards the holes in the roof of his store that were punctured by gas grenades.

When the soldiers got out of the checkpoint and headed armed with rifles towards the teenagers (pictures of whom I can't send for fear they might be recognized), I noticed two soldiers that discreetly climbed up the tower closest to the refugee camp. I drew the attention of two teenagers, who were among the leaders of those armed with stones. By doing so I knowingly and in clear mind refuted the answer that was a response to the settlers' claims published in Maariv. Because I, like Vivi, Hagit S' and additional members have no doubt a side and together with whom we stand at the occupied Palestinian territories.