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Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sheikh Saed, Tue 27.1.09, Morning

Observers: Anat T., Shira V. (reporting)
Jan-27-2009
| Morning

 

07:10 Sheikh Saed

 
Lively traffic is flowing.  Some school children are asked to open their bags for checks.

 
08:20 Zeitim Crossing
We entered the checkpoint area.  Two corridors are active, 10 persons waiting in each.  A young woman standing in line for the DCO presents herself as an eye doctor from Jericho who also works in one of the hospitals in the centre of the country (Tel Hashomer? but I may be wrong).  She tells us that each time there are problems with her biometric readings, and each time she has to pass through the DCO and explain her problem in order to cross.  She added that the checkpoint commander knows her problem.  We called him, and he confirmed.  He suggested she visit the Jericho DCO to acquire an exemption from the biometric.  Simultaneously, he sent his deputy, G., who arranged her crossing within minutes.

09:00 Wadi Nar

Traffic flows.  When we arrived we witnessed  the release of 2 detained vehicles.  A few others were detained and released within a short time.

09:40 Az-za'ayyem

No detained Palestinian vehicles in sight.  We stopped to talk to a civilian guard, there to look into the matter of the crossing of Palestinian buses.  According to him, there are a few bus routes crossing at this checkpoint (36, 63, and 75 which arrives, he said, once every hour).  Only holders of blue ID's are allowed to cross on them.  He also told us that taxis arriving from Allenby bridge cross the checkpoint with their passengers (blue ID's it seems).  He couldn't tell where other Palestinian bus routes were directed.
 
  • 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.

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