יום א' 2.9.07, בוקר
A festive morning for the beginning of the school year and all the paths and the checkpoints were interested in examining the children and their briefcases.
6:30 - Qalandiya
A special gate was opened for children and teachers and we asked if the sign in Arabic was pasted in a visible place so that everyone could see it. At that hour, most of those coming were pupils and teachers who passed by quickly in front of us. On the back of the girls were colorful briefcases in purple and pink. There were three police officers there, in addition to the regular police in order to insure that the morning would go by peacefully, and that the regular people waiting would not wait longer than about 15 minutes until they reached the checking station. And this was achieved with the assistance of the police officers.
7:00 - Ja'aba
At this checkpoint, the inspection was more severe. There were about 10 - 12 security people and a long bottleneck developed, almost until the traffic circle. They were all taxis and trucks.
7:10 - Anata
There were almost no school children, just a few older women students on their way to Ar-Ram via Shuafat. The students, primarily girls, of all ages -- little girls accompanied by older ones, all of them hurrying along the road like a rainbow of purple and pink.
7:45 - Ar-Ram
There were almost no pupils. In answer to our quesiton, the border police officer said that they crossed earlier. Two little girls came from the northern side that was locked. They passed by all the guards and the concrete blocks and turned into Ar-Ram, to the school. What a daily trek.