Qalandiya, Ramot

Qalandiya, Ramot crossroads, Wednesday afternoon, 18.4.2007Onservers: Yvonne M., Daniella Y., Ruthie B. (reporting), Natanya translatingAt 15.45 on the road leading from Qalandiya through Hizma we encounter a blockade of dirt at the entrance to the hill under the bridge. It is hard to get used to this even though we have passed this place dozens of times.16.00 - Checkpoint Lil Three border police check cars going north. The wait is not long but the children selling coffee know that there are clients who are detained for a sufficiently long time to buy their wares.16.07 - Qalandiya In the beginning only turnstile 1 is open. Later another opens but it takes the soldier a long time to inform those waiting and then too this is done by shouting and in Hebrew only.At the District Coordinator's Office there are 4-5 people waiting. The computer is not working and they are told to come tomorrow. In the car lane are usually about 8 cars. There is a jeep of the border police at the crossroads and passengers of a bus are told to pass on foot. We went back along the way we had come and were glad to see that there were once again kiosks with fruit and vegetables.17.15 - We wanted to go to Bir Naballah, Rafat but at the crossroads of the exit from Ramot we saw how a crossroads (as has been reported before) which allowed Palestinians to pass only from east to west or the opposite has become "temporarily" an all purpose checkpoint.At the corner in the direction of Beit Iksa is a line of 20 cars checked by two people in civilian dress. They checked each car and taxi and were guarded by the soldiers. These are the same taxis that were checked a few minutes ago at the crossing of the road east to west. All this we saw from above. In the other direction we saw waiting cars from Beit Iksa in the direction of the enclave and at the exit from Ramot north a police checkpoint with at least 25 cars waiting and for a change not only Palestinians. In addition to the report of last week where we told of two young men who were taken for interrogation because they had a knife in the car…..we were told that they were released at 4am from Sha'ar Benjamin and had been summoned to a trail with bail of 3000 shekel (which of course they have no way of raising). The report is from Amira Hass.