Abu Dis Friday Oct. 15, 2004 AM observers: Rita M(reporting), Michal Z, guest Philippe – photographerHow to make order – and humiliate people.First day and first Friday of Ramadan Before leaving Jerusalem, we received a call from J. at the pishpash telling us to hurry, because there was a lot of pressure there. All roads to the old city were closed and heavily guarded – we drove through Mt. Scopus and the Mt. of Olives and came across two jeeps at the end of the El Fadj passage way that were turning back people. We hurried to the pishpash/bawabe – arriving at 9.30 – and it was deserted: the taxi drivers said that they were not letting anyone through – and the checkpoint had moved to the Abu Dis side of the wall. So we climbed over the wall, and found a large crowd of people, cars and transits about a hundred meters down the road – by the gate of a church or monastery. A BP jeep stood there with some fifteen BPs, not allowing anyone through – period.It was not clear who was the commander – we started to speak to a BP who said he was, and seemed soft spoken, when we were suddenly interrupted by M. who said he was in charge – and told us to get out of ‘his’ area and not to disturb him at work, threatening that otherwise we would find ourselves at the police station in the Russian compound. It turns out these were two different groups of BP – M, who was known to us from previous shifts – belongs to the Jerusalem side and the other commander belonged to the unit stationed in Ma’ale Adumim. Tensions are high. At one point, we notice that a sniper loads his rifle – and starts going down the hill. He is followed by others, including the jeep – and only the ten BPs from the Jerusalem side remain, including five women BPs. After M. calmed down a bit – an exchange of cigarettes did it, or was it our response to start calling his superiors? – he told us that nobody would be allowed through until one o’clock – after the prayers. Not even those with blue ID’s – they should go to the Az-zaim checkpoint – this is not a gate – it should be closed at all times and the checkpoint is at Az-zaim. We protested that we heard on the radio that people would be allowed to pray at the mosques on Ramadan – and he said that he will only open the passage at one – clearly suggesting that this was a conscious policy to limit the number of people at the mosques.We reached Mike Raz, who promised to come – though his tone did not seem promising – telling us on the phone that people with blue IDs should indeed go to Az-zaim, etc. Still, he did arrive, at first he stood at a distance and called us. We told him what was going on, that there was a lot of anger and frustration, that some of the BP were rather rough in their interactions with the Palestinians. He said that the sniper who loaded his gun did not belong to his unit. He listened and said that people over sixty with permits were allowed through. We said we did not see anyone going through at all – the passage was hermetically closed. He went down to talk to the soldiers. Just a few minutes later, the situation started to change: all those with blue IDs were called forward and let through. Then M. started to give out orders, shouting: stand in two lines – and we will let those over sixty through. If you don’t stand in line, I will not let anyone through. There is some attempt to make lines, but every so often M. yells out that there are no lines and he won’t let anyone through anymore. This goes on back and forth. If someone jumps the line, he or she is sent back – even if they have the required papers. At some point M. runs off to the side, into the yard of some houses – it seems that people were trying to go through there, and he chases them back, yelling. When he returns he collectively punishes the entire group of people who have already been waiting out there in the sun for many hours – nobody goes through because people are sneaking across on the side. “I will teach you a lesson”, he says.At another time a woman starts going wild, screaming, crying and is held back by the soldiers – and again M. threatens that nobody will be let through – and the entire crowd is punished like little children, for the behavior of one – if I resist the temptation to use a much stronger association…M. stands on the roof and gives orders. He tells the women soldiers not to shout – ‘they don’t go through and that is it”. Indeed, the women soldiers have a very hard time in the situation and often resort to shouting.M. receives a phone call – to lower the age to 50 – but it is already 11:00 – probably too late to get to the prayers in time. Again there is a stopping of movement because the crowd – some 50 to 100 people and new ones keep coming – does not ‘behave’. There is a lot of anger in the air. Some people are not afraid to express it verbally, with strong political commentaries. At some point a higher officer – Shafik – with 3 ‘felafels’ arrives – but he does seem to change the situation significantly and leave soon thereafter.Some people have been there before we got there at 9.30 until finally most people are let through at `12:00 – probably because the soldiers are simply exhausted and have run out of drinking water – or because they figure the prayers are almost over anyway. A deaf and mute man with his wife, a baby and a son who needs his hearing aids adjusted want to go through – they do not have a permit. We try several times to convince M. and then Mike and call the humanitarian army person – whose only solution is that they should go to get a permit…. – we even give him the man’s ID number – and periodically ask M. again who insists that they can’t get through – he even offers a psychological theory of his own – that it is precisely people with disabilities who become terrorists and refers to some story about a woman suicide bomber that was just revealed on the news. Then, when M. has reached the point of exhaustion, at 11:45 and the crowd has already diminished – he finally gives in to our pleas, shrugging his shoulders: “let them go through, then”.At some point M. admits: I did not let anyone through – until Mike came – and then I compromised – in other words, our interference of calling Mike did have an effect.The BP retreat to the other side of the wall – the crowd now if much smaller – but they still do not let people without permits through. We too are exhausted and leave around 12:30.