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Regional secretary with the National Education Union
Witnessing a life of fear and exclusion
In part three of a four-part series MARY ADOSSIDES documents her study tour of Palestine with the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions

Day 6: Ramallah. There are checkpoints within 5km of each other around Ramallah, home of the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. 
Along the encircling serpentine wall there are huge paintings of PLO leader Yasser Arafat and jailed intifada leader Marwan Barghouti.

Palestinians do not have permission to leave Ramallah without “valid” permits. At the Kalandia checkpoint, we see Palestinians having to get off their bus to show their permits and ID cards, some carrying their heavy bags and suitcases rejoining the bus on the other side.

No problems for us, though. Our minibus is stopped and a very young armed blond soldier gets on, looks at the group, asks where we have come from and lets us pass.

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