Qalandiya Camp

Qalandiya, Tuesday, 5.10.04, PMObservers: Aya K., Tami B., Ilana H., Roni H. (reporting)The street vendors, who gave such colorful evidence of the vitality of the Palestinian population, are now almost completely forced out of the checkpoint area! Only one fruit vendor in the south has not yet given up and has moved his stall to the road to Ar-Ram, and one in the north, trying to sell shoes in the middle of the road, in constant danger of being knocked down by the passing cars.The car line heading south streches endlessly along the Qalandiya camp road. Drivers prepare themselves for a 2 hours wait and get out of their car in order to move their legs and exchange some words. Only one lane is being checked! In the checking area we discover a new sign-board, warning us, that we are about to enter Palestinian Authority territory! Have we returned the northern Arab neighborhoods, which were annexed to Jerusalem in 1967, to the Palestinians? God forbid! Quite to the contrary! A woman soldier explains to a passing man that Ramallah is actually in Israel!