Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Tue 28.7.09, Afternoon
Wadi Nar
Traffic in both directions was moving very quickly at Wadi Nar.
When we arrived, there were some young men waiting around and one van detained. We sat near the checking area (a military policeman came over and told us that we were not supposed to be there, but when we said that it was terribly hot outside and we got some protection from the heat there, he just walked away and returned to his booth).
One of the detainees spoke with us in English. He said that he was waiting for two hours to get his i.d. back but we have no way of knowing if this was accurate
When we arrived (at around 3:00 p.m.) there was just one van waiting. They said that there had been four transits stopped a while back and they were unlucky enough to be on one of them. They said that they were students who were from Hebron and Bethlehem and they were stopped every day, but then again, we have no way of knowing if they were exaggerating.
During our shift, no other vehicles in either direction were stopped, including those full of workers and young people. They might have been the unlucky victims of a random check.