Abu Dis, Container Wednesday PM, 6.4.05Observers: Noa R., Yael R., Ayelet F., Tirza F. (reporting)15:00-20:0015:00 Monastery3 BP soldiers and a couple with a child and a baby. They are released as we approach.15:40 Abu-Dis, the new checkpointA jeep with a soldier sitting on top. In front of him several young women are detained on the pavement. Another soldier holds a pile of blue IDs. 5 minutes later they are returned. The jeep goes towards the wall, and returns with dangerous speed a moment later.16:05 Cliff HotelNo soldiers.16:20In the street near the gas station we find the 3 soldiers from the monastery with 10 detainees. The soldier R. is filling forms. Another is standing on the road, checking IDs and detaining others.We ask the detainees how long they have been waiting. ”1.5 hours”, says one. A soldier says it’s not true. No detainee has a permit. The soldier writes down names, ID number and asks each men: his phone number, place of birth, did he have a permit before, does he know he needs a permit, why did he enter Israel, does he enter every day, did he enter alone, what is his work in Israel, what is his employer’s name, how much does he earn per day. At the end the detainee is asked to sign.It takes about 10 minutes per detainee. When the first detainee who doesn’t speak Hebrew arrives, the soldier is looking for someone who does. The other soldier points at the man who spoke with us. The questioning is accompanied by the soldier’s remarks and jokes.17:02The questionnaire soldier asks us whether we’re not bored standing there and proposes we go get a coffee.17:10The soldier speaks on the two-way radio, asking to check some ID numbers, and adds ”humans rights are here”.Then he sends another soldier to bring ”young girls” from the group of people waiting beyond an iron gate, where there’s a large hole that young people can pass through easily. The filling of questionnaires continues.An old woman arrives and needs help to go through the iron gate. She can’t climb the high stone step and no one can give her a hand. She takes a taxi to the monastery. 17:35A jeep arrives. An officer descends from it and sends everyone away from the gate, ”before I use force”. Why? ”I don’t want them near the gate”.An elderly couple tried to pass through the hole. They are asked to open all their bags in the middle of the road.17:40The 3 soldiers with the detainees go to the jeep. An elderly man who stood before with the soldier approaches us. The officer demands we don’t speak with detainees. He’s not a detainee, we say. The man shows his ID. The officer sends him away.17:50The soldiers copy names and ID numbers and release the detainees. 18:00The jeep goes away and the soldiers return to the monastery. 18:30 Container3 detained vehicles. One, a taxi, is immediately released. The other two received a negative answer but are still waiting.One is a man who is getting married in 2 days. He went with a hired car to collect his relatives who came from Jordan and says he passed at 13:00 without problems. Now he can’t get back, with the car full including a child, because the car has no permit.In the other car there are 2 men. The car has a permit but for another driver. The soldiers refer them to the DCO. 18:33We call Avi Biton the company commander. Regarding the groom, he says, ”it’s not my problem. He didn’t pass through here in the morning, no private car can pass. He probably passed through tunnel checkpoint and now wants to use the highway to get back”. Why can’t private cars pass? According to Biton there are 2 motives: security – to avoid car bombs, and humanitarian – to diminish traffic by full vans instead of many private cars.Regarding the other car: ”it’s none of my business. I prefer to be OK with my commander rather that with the palestinians”. But if the DCO will give an OK they can pass.18:45We call Zidki from Jerusalem DCO. He says he’ll get back to us. We try R., the checkpoint commander. He doesn’t think they are terrorists; does he? So why not let them pass? ”But what if a terrorist comes tomorrow?” he says. 19:05Zidki gets back. Both cars have a permit.10 minutes later nothing happens. We call Zidki again. He will check.19:20A car arrives to pick up the groom’s family. The groom leaves his car in the yard of the house near the checkpoint and says he’ll come back for it tomorrow. 19:35We call Zidki again. We tell him the groom has despaired but the other car is still waiting. He will check yet again.19:40Dark. Cars are passing almost without check up. Another call to Biton. No authorization has arrived yet from the brigade.Again Zidki. He says the checkpoint commander told him the checkpoint is empty. 19:50 Finally the authorization arrives and the cars passes. Then comes a man from the car hiring firm to pick up the groom’s car. The car was supposed to have received a permit already but the soldiers didn’t get it by the two-way radio, so as far as they’re concerned there is no permit. 20:00The man despairs and takes a taxi.