A-Ram, Bir Naballah
A-Ram, Bir Naballah, Wednesday afternoon, 4.4.2007, E.Observers: Aya K. Tami B. Tami G. Yvonne M. Ruthie B. Daniella Y. (reporting)Natanya translating.An innovation: Dogs.16.45At A-ram a resident stopped us and asked us to come on Fridays and Saturday mornings. He said that he had seen Palestinians being pushed into a cubicle and then a dog was taken in. People come out bruised and frightened. P. phoned Tammie this morning and told her of a similar experience and there is a further report from Aya. We also learned that there is a new practice. The aim is to train the dogs. They are taught to smell the Palestinian workers. We went along the wall at A-Ram and came to Dachia through the crossroads of Ar-Ram. The wall that cuts Dachia into two has one opening through which we got to the northern end. 10s of children crowd around us and some adults asking what we are doing there. They are worried because we have maps. We explained that we are against the wall and against the checkpoint and they thanked us. Aya writes. This morning P. phoned us . He had been caught by soldiers trying to get from Bir Naballah to Jerusalem. From 9.00 to 13.30 20 men and 8 women were caught most of them on their way to work. They were forced to sit at the checkpoint of Dachia (Ar-Ram) on the dirt floor, they were not allowed to move, to smoke or phone or go to the toilet nor were they allowed to drink. Whoever moved was taken to a small room , hit in the face, stomach and hands and then sent back. During this time every few minutes a soldier would pass next to them with a dog on a lead so as to frighten them and they were frightened. Some time later a car arrived with 5-6 more dogs. A soldier dressed in civvies put a box in the midst of the Palestinians sitting on the sand and then dog after dog had to discover the box. The dog sniffed each person until he found it. After that the soldier would pat the dog and give him something to eat. Sometimes the dog was on a lead with a muzzle and led by a soldier and sometimes it was sent in on its own and without the muzzle. All the dogs found the box. After the dogs had finished their training the Palestinians began to be called forward one by one to sign on the well-known form stating that nothing had been stolen from them while they were being checked and that they had not been beaten and had not well-treated. Also that they had not had to raise their hands. P. said he said to the soldier how can I sign this after the way you treated us and the soldier said if you do not sign you will stay here. "So I signed, What could I do?"