Qalandiya & Ar-Ram

Ar-ram, Qalandiya, Thursday am, 29.12 2005Watchers: Neta E. Tamar A. (reporting)Ar-Ram06:55 to 09:00 shiftGet to know the new Qalandiya Checkpoint.06:55As we arrive two jeeps turn in the direction of Hizma and through the loudspeaker we hear the yell: ”Transit move!” This to a car which had stopped for a moment and delayed them. At the checkpoint Neta is greeted with joyous cheers by “old acquaintances”, the border police who confiscated her car a few months ago and who were then much less pleasant. Pedestrians cross while sometimes the bags of the students are checked. Even though this is not done slowly a line of about 50 cars piles up and Neta phones the commander who says he will deal with the matter.Qalandiya07:15-08:45 A couple of tens of metres in front of the circle the crush of taxis begins. The entrance to road 60 is closed by barbed wire; therefore, there is no traffic between Ramallah and East Jerusalem.Next to the fence which encloses the new terminal, opposite the sign “Hope for us all” is a picture which induces depression: four men lined up with their faces to the fence in the bitter morning cold. A few minutes later two soldiers bring two more. Before they add them to the existing line they separate them and with their rifles pointed at them and with sign language they order them to open their coats, lift their trouser legs and their sweaters to reveal their stomachs.Under the sign “Welcome to checkpoint Atarot” we enter and immediately hear the loudspeakers which shout out non-stop orders in Arabic. We pass the two turnstiles in the direction of Ramallah with no problem, not much activity in that direction, and stop to see what is happening in the opposite direction. Here too are two turnstiles.In the first row before the two turnstiles is a line of about 40 people who are not allowed to pass until the second line empties, women and the aged pass through the third. In the second row there are 5 check points where checking is taking place, in front of one of them there are about 20 people and the others have shorter lines. Next to the first line is the soldiers’ fortified room protected by fortified windows. At the back is an empty waiting room with chairs, toilets and water. A EAPPI activist from South Africa asks for the humanitarian line to be opened for an elderly man but even as the soldiers prepare to do so the gate does not open. He has been here since 7am every morning trying to help.Neta photographs the whole time and after a while soldiers arrive who tell us it is forbidden to do so and ask us to identify ourselves. Otherwise they will call in the police. Neta says that it is not against the law to take photos, but so as to prevent problems we give our names and ID numbers. The soldiers do not ask to see the IDs themselves. In the meantime it’s 07:50 and the lines are diminishing.At the car lane from the direction of Ramallah the queue has no end. In the middle of the checkpoint a car which is not allowed to cross is parked and the driver refuses to move. The soldiers say that it is his fault that nothing is moving. What do we want? That they should use force to move him? In the end he gives up and turns around. But the soldiers do not immediately get back to work; only after we ourselves have moved back. They also claim that we are not allowed to photograph nor stand too near the checkpoints. There are 15 cars waiting to go in the direction of Ramallah. On our way back there are not many people at the turnstiles. We cross the first with no delay and join the line of women who are stuck because an elderly woman wants to get to hospital and does not have the right papers. Another turnstile is opened for these women but we wait to see what is happening with the older woman. After 7 minutes they let her pass but in the meantime we have time to read the notices:“Caution, automatic gate.”“Prepare your documents for checking.““Please empty your pockets.”“Take off your coats.”“After you enter put your belongings on the conveyor belt and wait for the checker’s instructions.”“Enter one at a time.”Neta goes in first and puts her ID in the small opening under the window of the soldiers and her bag on the conveyor belt. Then she disappears behind the door. Michaela enters, she has problems because she forgot the paper which is attached to her passport and which has her visa on it. Behind her a line of women forms who are annoyed at the delay. The DCO representative comes from the other side but the soldiers do not hear his request to enter until Michaela, at his request informs them, that he is waiting.A few minutes after he goes in Neta comes out and Michaela is freed. Now the turnstile is opened to 4-5 women together and they push in, jumping the queue and angry with the old woman who is trying to cross in front of them. This small group, including myself, are not checked but after that the checking is resumed.Neta says that behind this mysterious door on which there is a notice “Continuation of checking” where she was locked in, she found herself imprisoned in a room with two locked doors. Between her and the soldiers is a one-way window, and no one else inside. A horrible feeling that someone could be forgotten there for hours. One can die of fright. And not every Palestinian has the number of the army brigade spokesperson enabling her to complain and to remind the soldier that she exists. We leave the exit under the sign “Exit to the parking area, have a good and safe stay”. Ar-Ram08:47Practically no pedestrians and we wait 12 minutes in the car lane. There is also a line from Jerusalem.