TEL AVIV, December 24, 2005 (WAFA) -The Israeli daily Haaretz said Friday that that representatives of the European Union (EU) and other diplomats boycotted an Israeli tour last Monday of the new Qalandiya crossing in the West Bank (WB).

The representatives of the EU and other diplomats refused the Israeli invitation to tour the facility because it is located in the heart of occupied territory.

The pedestrian crossing is surrounded by a concrete portion of the Apartheid Wall, which was built on the west and south of Qalandiya, and crosses the main street of the village of Ar-Ram, whose western part was taken over by Israel in the 1967 War, as was Qalandiya, Haaretz said.

The pedestrian component "consists of a roofed waiting area, five roofed lanes leading up to a number of iron turnstiles, and an electromagnetic gate with X-ray equipment to check belongings and coats. Soldiers in three closed buildings between the lanes examine the identity cards of those crossing. A pedestrian who sets off a buzzer is taken to a side room to be searched," the paper concluded.

M.H. (14:08 P) (12:08 GMT)