Back to reports search page

Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sheikh Saed, Silwan, Tue 17.4.12, Morning

Observers: Anat Toeg, Nava Jenny Eliashar (reporting)
Apr-17-2012
| Morning

   

 

 
… No University, no work…
 
6:40 Sheikh Saed
 
A pleasant morning, very little traffic.
 
The checkpoint commander recognizes me: "you're ….'s mother", they were at school together.  The guard knows another friend of my son's, and both are eager to listen to us and understand what brings us to their checkpoint.
 
In the lot above there is no demand for taxis, and the young drivers complain that when the university is on vacation their livelihood suffers.  They are bored and frustrated, incarcerated in their small community beyond which they are not permitted to travel.
 
An old man wants to leave.  The commander explains, apologetically, that the man comes to the checkpoint every day but has no permit of any kind.  We speak of the dire results of occupation, of the injustice of dispossession, and the lack of reasonable living conditions.  But who speaks of the human aspect of the individual, the personal plight of an old man who feels the urge to go beyond the narrow confines alloted him, and doesn't stop trying day after day.
 
7:40 Silwan
 
Digging and massive construction of a very high fence is in progress on the American route, near the turning to Silwan.  It's almost impossible to negotiate the narrow road remaining.  The workmen say this is the work of the Gihon Company, but they don't know its purpose.  Phone calls to the company and the municipality did not produce precise information.
 
8:30 Olive Terminal
 
The checkpoint is empty.  As in Sheikh Saed, the taxi drivers remain unemployed.  One of them explains: No univerisity – no work.
The vacation will be over next week.
 
They say that three weeks ago the pressure here was enormous.
I remember that 3 weeks ago I was at the Kalandia checkpoint and crossing took three hours and more. It appears that many workmen gave up on Kalandia, travelled by taxi via Ma'aleh Adumim and Al Ezariya to the Olive Terminal, bringing with them the pressure from which they had tried to flee. It's unclear whether the additional effort and expenditure got them to their workplace on time.
 
At the entrance to the third corridor, that of the DCO, there is large sign:
DCO hours for the public:
Sunday to Thursday 8:30-12:00, 13:00-16:00
But at 8:40 the DCO is still closed.  One phone call, and the corridor came to life.
 
9:10 Wadi Nar
 
A FEDEX vehicle is stuck on the side road leading to Wadi Nar, with two other vehicles, one damaged: a traffic accident.
It's odd to see FEDEX in this god-forsaken spot, with parcels scattered in the heart of a wasteland.  A young man was busy taking pictures.  45 minutes later, on our return, little had changed in the scene of the accident.
 
At Wadi Nar checkpoint, traffic is busy but flowing. From time to time papers of vehicles going to Bethlehem are checked.
 
A border policeman comes up to ask about us. A lively conversation reveals a facet of the new Israeli, an immigrant trying to make his way in a dangerous job, against the odds of discrimination and other difficulties, in order to ensure that his children will be equals in their new land.  He works hard in order to send his children to good schools which are expensive.  He has mastered the Israeli code for success, and plans the future of his children with an emphasis on education, values, respect for parents, diligence and loyalty.

  • Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket)

    See all reports for this place
    •  

      Abu Dis / Lazarus Checkpoint/Gate (east of the former “wicket”)

      Construction of the wall in the Abu Dis area blocked all the gaps that allowed people to cross from al-Ezariya to the neighbourhoods of Abu Dis and Ras al 'Amud that are located within Jerusalem’s municipal boundary. The Lazarus checkpoint is a gate in the wall adjacent to the Lazarus Monastery. Until 2011 it had a door for pilgrims to al-Ezariya and for the monastery’s kindergarten pupils from al-Ezariya. The crossing is currently closed, but the site has infrastructure for conducting inspections.

  • Container (Wadi Nar)

    See all reports for this place
    •  Wadi Nar Checkpoint ("Container", "The Kiosk") - a barrier for vehicles in Area B that is regularly manned - east of Abu Dis between Sawahra A Sharqiya and Bethlehem and its daughters. Controls Palestinian movement between the north and south West-Bank. Includes driving routes, access roads, spikes, traffic lights and signs. There is no pedestrian crossing. Open 24 hours a day with random checks enhanced on security alerts. The checkpoint is in Palestinian territory, allowing for separation between the north and the south Palestinian areas when necessary.

      In 2015, the leading road from Azaria to Bethlehem was renovated, as well as the steep and narrow ascent to the Wadi Nar checkpoint, which was dangerously travelled in both directions! The temporary checkpoint was renovated and expanded, and pedestrian traffic was banned. From 2016, traffic travelling from the south bank to Azaria was directed to a one-way road near the Southern Keydar Jewish settlement.

      Machsomwatch shifts visit this far-fetched checkpoint only occasionally.

      (updated to July 2019)

       

  • Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal)

    See all reports for this place
    • A large checkpoint/crossing to the area of a-Tur, Abu Dis and the Old City; only for pedestrians. Located on Jerusalem’s municipal boundary.

      One of the major crossings in Jerusalem’s central sector. It is located on the separation fence between the northern portion of the al-Ezariya neighborhood and the neighborhood of a-Tur and the rest of East Jerusalem. It is manned by Border Police soldiers and private security companies and operates 24 hours a day. Palestinians are forbidden to go through, other than permanent residents of East Jerusalem (holders of blue ID cards) and holders of work and commercial permits who are allowed through only on foot.

  • Sheikh Sa'ed

    See all reports for this place
    • A checkpoint limited to pedestrians, located on Jerusalem’s municipal boundary.

      The checkpoint sits on the separation fence at the entrance to Sheikh Sa’ad, dividing it from its neighbourhood of Jabel Mukkabar. It’s manned by Border Police soldiers and private security companies and operates 24 hours a day. Palestinians are forbidden to go through, other than residents of Jabel Mukkabar or Sheikh Sa'ad who have permits. Both groups are permitted through only on foot. Residents of East Jerusalem who don’t live in Jabel Mukkabar are also allowed to cross to Sheikh Sa’ad, but not in the opposite direction; they must return through the Sawahira ash Sharqiya checkpoint.

      נבי סמואל. כך נראים המגורים בכפר מובלעת בלי היתרי בנייה או שיפוץ
      Anat Tueg
      May-20-2026
      Nabi Samwil. This is what living conditions look like in an enclave village without building or renovation permits
  • Silwan

    See all reports for this place
    • Silwan is south of the Old City of Jerusalem and has become one of the main confrontation areas with settlers.

       

Donate