Abu Dis Sunday PM, 10.7.2005Observers: Chagit S., Ilana H. (reporting), Galit G,Abu Dis.16:00 No presence of BP. People entered the village through three improvised entrances: 1. Through a large gate at the bottom of the road going up to the Pishpash. One of the bars had been sawed off and the people pushed themselves through the narrow opening. Thus, this gate, which was blocked several times by barbed wire and welding, has now become a sort of free throughway, not very comfortable but nevertheless free. 2. Through the wall next to the large wall now blocking the Pishpash. Stones that have been planted there enable people to climb them, then one balances on the smaller wall’s high and narrow edge, at the risk of falling, and descends on the other side by jumping on to the stones laid there as well. 3. The longer way through the monastery. All these passages were open at this time. However, the drivers we talked to related that occasionally the BP is present. That very morning, they said, they were particularly harsh and rude and one of the passers by was even beaten. The worst harassment was that of the commander of the unit – S.The Container, 17:00Traffic went through without any particular hindrance. There was one detainee in the detainees’ shed (I noticed for the first time that it was named the “waiting area). He told us he was a student from Hebron and that his ID had been taken away from him. In the meantime, the commander of the CP, N., demanded that we move back. Even so, we managed to ask him about the detainee. He explained that his affair was being investigated and that he had the right to detain him for three hours and three additional hours if an officer so authorized. He was not interested in speeding up the release of the man. He is carrying out his duties exactly by the book and “does not care” about anything else. He ordered us again to shove off to the other side. He accompanied us to the entrance to Sawahre, said that we were not allowed to stand there either because he had received “orders” that Israelis were not permitted to be in Sawahre, which is B area. We argued with him and following many phone calls sorted out the two matters at hand: the one concerning the detainee whose name and ID number we took, and that of the astonishing ban on standing on the Sawahre side. This is what we came up with: As to our staying in Sawahre we were told by Z. that it was not forbidden by any means and we were assured that the commander of the CP would be updated on that. It was actually done. As to the detained student (by now for two hours), we were promised by the Humanitarian Center and the DCO that they would look into it. Following lots of phone calls lasting an hour, we discovered that no demand of that kind had reached the brigade. We said so to N., but he ignored us in his polite, yet rude, manner. We insisted and called the Humanitarian Center and the DCO again and again, only to be told that no investigation of the matter was being carried out. Apparently headquarters did call N., for suddenly the man was released, after a lengthy wait for no reason. There is no doubt in our mind that this N. never bothered to check if there was anything “against” this young man. He just felt like detaining him. We intend to file a complaint against him. Before we were about to leave, we were held up because of a large truck that was made to park on the side. The driver and the two passengers related that like every day, they were on their way from their work in Hebron to their homes in Nablus, meaning their entire route is through Palestinian land. The commander of the CP forbade them to go through and demanded they return to Hebron because of a tractor loaded on the truck. The tractor was out of order. N. claimed that the tractor was a tow away and therefore in need of a special permit. Persistent phone calls to the DCO and to Z. revealed that no such permit was necessary. This also took half an hour but finally N. received instructions to let the truck pass and so it did. We returned to Jerusalem via Abu Dis. The time was already 19:30. Now there were two jeeps next to the gate with the sawed off bar, and the gate became a regular CP. BP soldiers inspected IDs of those coming and going. We did not see them detain anyone.