Ar-Ram, Qalandiya Mon. 28.11.05 p.m.Observers: Hava B, Tova S, Lizi S (reporting)Ar-Ram The blue police were checking every car leaving Ar-Ram. A male and female police person said that they were checking licenses, but we noticed that they were also taking people off of buses and out of cars and checking i.d.s The policewoman got on the bus with a cigarette in her mouth. A soldier at the checkpoint said that this was within the borders of Israel and that they are allowed to do so. We asked one of the soldiers why they were checking and immediately, a different soldier accosted me and forbade the soldier from answering saying he did not know. Was he on loan to the police? The meanwhile, they were also taking people off of buses. A couple from Ar-Ram was denied permission to cross despite the fact that they had an appointment with a doctor. We tried to find out why when we got the performance of the blue policemen. David BL, a policeman started to shout. “What’s this? What do you want to know? Who are you? You want to get the info here? You are disturbing us in our work. You want to find out about the personal life of this man? (He was suddenly concerned about the human rights of the man who wanted to cross) and continued. “We will not give you any information”. We commented that apparently their understanding was greater than their ability and a policewoman shouted: “Be ashamed of yourself. When our soldiers die, then you can teach us how to cry.” A policeman continued: “Are you looking for a shoulder to cry on. You won’t find it here”.Children crossed on their way from school. One of the soldiers shouted rudely “Stop! Open your bags!” He was standing near one of the children in a threatening position and demanded that they open bags. The frightened child asked if he wanted to check his school bag and then another soldier appeared and shouted “Open it up”. The frightened child opened the bag but the soldier didn’t even look at it and the confused child just continued on his way. One of the soldiers told us that that there was no point in our being there and couldn’t understand why we were even there. We told him that this was Israeli territory and as citizens we had a right to be there. Then he answered. “All right, from now on this is a closed military area” and we explained to him that he could not make those decisions. Another soldier calmed him down before he caused additional trouble.Another soldier, in the pedestrian passageway shoved a child who delayed in closing his bag.QalandiyaThere were a lot of stands at the entry to the checkpoint. One of the peddlers said to us: “You don’t do anything. What do you do anyway? Perhaps you are like the settlers, in cahoots with the army. (It’s hard to hear such things and harder still to know that our ability to do anything is so limited). There are few people being checked and even so, the movement through is very slow and there was a feeling of crowdedness and tension. All this was because of two women soldiers who were fooling around and behaving rudely toward the people. They kept shouting “Stop all traffic”. The volunteer who was there last week tried to calm this down and told the soldiers to their faces that their behavior was improper. They laughed at the people and egged each other on as they poked fun at those crossing. The glory of the enlightened occupation was once again seen when an elderly couple with luggage requested to pass through the gate and not through the long line. They put down their heavy bags and opened up every bag and tried to convince the soldier. He allowed it, but one of the disgusting women soldiers screamed out, No!!! Walk!!! The soldier asked why and she continued to scream. Good. So the couple – at least 70 years of age asked to leave their bags which had already been checked near the gate and to cross through the line without having to drag them. The soldier yelled out and waved her hands wildly. They took the heavy bags that had already been checked and waited in line, until they reached the soldier in order to be checked. She did not even look at them and deprecatingly waved them through. It was so disturbing. Her friend screamed at one of those passing through, “Don’t you dare tell a soldier to be quiet or it won’t be good for you.” I could not restrain myself, went to the checkpoint and screamed at her, “You might have the freedom to prevent his movement but you have no right to take away from him the right to express himself. He will say whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and as much as he wants.” And then I went out.A woman turned to me – a resident from the north, whose husband lives in the territories and she told us about the terrible discomfort they suffer from the lack of certainty about what is going to take place at the crossings. In the past, the Supreme Court allowed him to live with her in the north, for a year, but with the outbreak of the Intifada, they were told that the rules changed and he could not go there and from then on, he has not been able to see his family. She comes to him from time to time for a few days. A new volunteer joined in our conversation and shocked us when he said he just wanted to talk. And then he turned to the woman and said to her “You want to dance at two weddings and because of that, you don’t move to the territories. Your husband surely has another wife. I know because I speak as a man. You could move there, but if they caught a Jew there, you know what would be. We pay dearly – release hundreds of murderers… We moved aside and spoke only with her.We were leaving. One of those working as a guard at the new checkpoint was traveling quickly in his car in the pedestrian passageway and he left after him a trail of dirt and noise. There were a lot of military jeeps. Ar-Ram No detainees, but checks of cars and passengers continues. Another checkpoint was added to the road at the entrance to Ar-Ram. They are checking every vehicle. French Hill Intersection A sweet boy told us that a police car passed and stole his and his brother’s merchandise.