Shuafat Camp, A-Ram, Qalandiya
Shuafat Camp, A-Ram, Qalandiya, Friday morning, 13.10.06Observer: Tzipi E., Magdalena H. (reporting) Guest from Berlin:Ibo G.Shuafat Camp with soldiers and nearly no people.Just after the traffic lights of Naveh Ya'acov Police is checking car licence, ID's, inssurance and other papers.A-Ram is very quiet and the chaos started 200 meters behind. Soldiers and Police on horses are pushing hundrets of men back who wished to pass for praying, Ramadan and Friday. Very tenth athmosphere. Two soldiers are more soft in talking and behaving. They told us that no one is passing today and from time to time they get an order from above by phone to let few people pass and than they let a big group of men over 45 years old go.On the road next to the wall many jeeps are driving up and down. One jeep stands in the middle of the road and the soldiers outside with weapons shooting tear gas into the street. We asked them why they are shooting and the answer was "we didn't shoot, go on!" The wind brought the cloud of tear gas back and we got a little excample.We wanted to have a look at the Qalandiya Terminal and continued driving closed to the wall. Already at late Tora-Bora the traffic jam started. Impossible to go on or to turn back. Hundreds of pedestrians, most families in very fine holiday clothes passing in between the cars. Police helicopters in the sky, on the hill on the left side men throw stones over a garden fence. From there soldiers are firing tear gas back. The situation came closer and the soldiers fired into the car line and at all the pedestrians as well. One old lady got injured at the head and one younger man was checking his shoulder, but they continued walking. All the good dressed people holded handkerchiefs at their nose and mouth. We closed all the windows and stopped breathing. It took us half an hour to reach the parking place of the terminal. There was another surprise: A Police Watertank car gave a heavy free car wash to every car and men and women who came in his line. And this Watertank car was very fast to all sides. We wished to turn back but this Watertank closed us completly and aimed at us. It took a little time but at the end we turned and in no time we where back in A-Ram. We don't know why, but in those seconds the road was free.In Ar-Ram was still the same frustrating situation like on our way north.We drove around to see the Qalandiya Terminal( from the Israeli side). The car line was completly empty, all the time we where there no car was passing. The hole terminal roads were covered with stones. Workers in orange coloured T-shirts were cleaning the streets, but just until the control houses. Many many heavy armed soldiers at both sides of the fence. The Water tank is travelling up and down. Uncountable number of people outside and inside the terminal. The athmosphere is loaded. From the tenth you can bring energy to a couple of electricity stations. The soldiers don't let everybody into the terminal. Those who got in are separated between women, children and men. The women got checked and passed in a time between one and two hours. The men under 45 years old were send back and the elderly waited and waited.We met Ivonne M., with guests and Roni H., from the other shift. Roni was inside the terminal. The time came closed to 11 o'clock, praying time. The Palestinians became more and more frustrated and scaned "Allah Akbar". Journalists with cameras were already on the other side of the fence. We left.Hag Sameach!