International Checkpoint Watch - Daily Observations

Date:            26/11/01                                  Time:  16:30 – 18:00

Place Observed:  Qalandia

Number of Soldiers Present: 

Soldiers Names, ID #’s, License Plate #’s, Etc: 

Events Witnessed:

We arrived shortly before Iftar (when Muslims break their fast), which meant lots of pedestrian traffic and cars-rushing home to break the Ramadan fast with their families and friends.  Soldiers were meant to be checking ID cards of all men going towards Jerusalem.  Pedestrians going towards Ramallah were not stopped.  All cars were checked in both directions.  The wait between cars was approximately 5 minutes, though with the long lines of traffic, cars going towards Jerusalem were probably waiting for at least an hour before the Iftar.

Unusual occurrences:

In the half an hour just following Iftar (16:50 - 17:30), there was very little traffic, pedestrian or vehicle.  No man was allowed to pass to Jerusalem without having his ID checked.

17:20-  One man approached the soldiers with a question.  He spoke to them in a very civil manner and explained partly in English and partly in Arabic that he lived in Jericho and wanted to take his car (with green plates) to visit his family.  His wife is pregnant, and he did not want her to walk in the cold.  He works in Ramallah, but he wants to see his family during Ramadan.  The soldiers said no at first, that it was impossible to pass with Palestinian plates.  They took his ID to be checked by the commander.  I approached them to see what the problem was, and the soldiers told me that no one is allowed to pass with Palestinian plates.  After 10 minutes of waiting and asking politely, the man was allowed to take his car across to Jericho.

17:40-  One pedestrian was told he was not allowed to cross because he did not have his ID.  He was with a friend who said they were both students at Birzeit and live in Shufat.  The first had left his ID at his home in Shufat.  The soldiers said he could not cross.  The student started to get very upset and started walking across anyway.  Four soldiers quickly came and took him to the side of the fence.  We followed, taking pictures.  The friend was trying to calm the situation and explain everything to the soldiers in order for them to pass.  After a few minutes, they started walking away.  When I asked if everything was okay now, the friend told me that he had left his bankcard with the soldiers.  When the students returned with the missing ID, he could claim it back from them.

17:45-  A soldier approached us and politely told us that he thinks it’s great that we are here and taking pictures, but that we are beginning to disturb them; he asks when we are leaving.  I explain to him that we were just trying to make sure that the Palestinian did not get hurt.  He did not look happy, but he left us alone.

Attitude: The soldiers were extremely civil and far more talkative than they have been in recent months.  When asked, they told us that they are here to stop terrorists from Ramallah going to Jerusalem.  They stated that just that morning, they had stopped car with guns in the trunk.  They stated that they have a list of ID numbers attached to their belts that they are supposed to compare to the ID cards they examine.