Abu Dis, ContainerMon. 15.8.05 AMTeam: Tzippi A., Ruti R. (Reporting)7:00 a.m. Al Ezariya CP Ms. M.P., from Al Ezariya, who has a blue (Israeli) I.D. and who has worked for years at the Szold Institute [for educational testing] in Jerusalem, has been stopped several times and kept waiting at the CP by a Border Policeman who claims she offended him — and who frightened her considerably [with his challenge to the legitimacy of her claims to free passage]. I learned of this from a friend who works with her. The friend and I decided to wait there with her this morning and help her if there was need. Because this particular soldier wasn’t there, she got through without harassment. – If harassment by this soldier persists, I’ll report it to the authorities. –- The flow of vehicles is more or less smooth today.7:30 Sawahre Checkpost. Some six soldiers on reserve duty at the post. There is a smooth trickle of traffic and no pedestrians. Nothing to deal with here.8:00 Near the upper entrance of the church in Abu Dis, about 50 metres above the wicket gate, we found five Palestinian men sitting on the sidewalk with three Border Police guarding them. The officer in charge – Sh. C. S., turned to us as soon as we got out of the car and told us not to talk to him, he has nothing to tell us. Nor are we to talk to the men on the sidewalk are, who are being detained / under arrest. – One of the soldiers was guarding the five men and the other was eating breakfast. When he finished, they switched roles. The officer interrogated one of the Palestinians, who didn’t understand Hebrew, in Hebrew. He had him sign the familiar forms, but not before he asked one of the other men to translate the question, “Do you [the Palestinian being inerrogated] want to ask me [the Israeli officer] anything?” – One of the men asked for a band aid. The officer pounced on us for talking to him and threatened to call the police. “He’ll manage without,” said the other guard. Tzippi found a band-aid in the car. The officer was angry but didn’t manage to stop her. We stood there, bewildered. Tzippi walked toward the monastery gate and the officer asked her where she was going. He said he was afraid of her and ordered her to stand two metres from him. It was clear that he didn’t want her to hear what he was saying to the Palestinian or see what he was writing in the form. One of the prisoners asks the soldier for some water. The soldier immediately turned to us and asked if we have water. It so happened that we didn’t. The soldeer said that he would get water soon, that it won’t take long. After a couple of minutes the officer told him to give them water from his own canteen. It turns out that they had six canteens and at least one other bottle of water. Meanwhile the officer had finished investigating two of the prisoners and asked the soldier who had finished to prepare him a sandwich. He took the sandwich, and, donning his kippa [skullcap] and ritually washing his hands, took a bite and went on grilling the third detainee. When one of the detainees started talking to another detainee, the officer sat him at some distance. After half an hour of helpless waiting, we left the place, shamefaced. On the way, all the passage-points in Abu Dis were blocked by Border Police. We didn’t stop to check what was going on but headed straight back to Jerusalem.