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Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sheikh Saed, Thu 7.8.08, Morning

Tags: Detainees
Observers: Ora K., Yehudith S., Michaela R. (reporting)
Aug-07-2008
| Morning

 

6:15 Sheikh Saed
The usual traffic; slow checking, the contents of food packages examined.
Persons are checked — rats cross freely, foraging in the mounds of garbage.

  7:00 Zeitim Crossiing

 
Traffic flows, sparse, crossing time 6-12 minutes.  As usual the men are buckling their belts at the exit.

 
On our way to Wadi Nar and back we saw soldiers at the entrance to Ezariya.  There was no checkpoint and it was not clear why they were there.

Wadi Nar

Busy traffic of vehicles.  A bus was detained for the checking of documents by wireless communication — a slow procedure which disrupts the flow.
Most of the time one border policeman works while his two mates chat nearby.  This policeman insists on order, taking the trouble more than once to require drivers to reverse even though they stood in the assigned place.  In the framework of the energetic construction work of infrastructure going on, there is no proper building for the checkpoint, nor are there any road signs or markings to indicate stopping areas.
When one of the chatting policemen assists with the checking, he does so by waving his hand and standing with his back to the traffic. So much for security!
Az-Za'ayyem Checkpoint

Public transportation is checked — efficiently and relatively fast.
This time we were invited to stand in the shade — a rare gesture.

  • Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket)

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    •  

      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)

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    •  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)

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    • 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

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    • 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.

      Jerusalem: Nof Zion settlement within the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood
      Yona Eyal
      Jan-7-2026
      Jerusalem: Nof Zion settlement within the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood
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