Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sheikh Saed, Wed 6.2.08, Afternoon
14:00 to 16:00
Sheikh Saed 14:00
There was very few pedestrians and as the road is barricaded, there was no motor traffic. One border guard and one guard from a private security firm were at the Checkpoint. A resident who was returning from work told us that the appeal to the High Court regarding the bizarre and apparently insane decision to cage in this section of Jebel Mukaber was postponed again and is now due to be heard on 23rd February.
We left Sheik Saed and drove along the lower road under Silwan to Ras Al Amud.
Viewing the Moskowitz house in its pastoral splendour from the backyard of a home on the hillside we saw some sign of life there. There is play equipment for children in the yard and there were two men, one on the roof, probably the guard, and the other on a lower roof top. We passed the Cliff Hotel with its broken windows and the ruins of a 7 storey home which had been a 24 apartment building and had been demolished on the grounds that it was built illegally on Church property. The appeal by the Church had not made any difference.
Zeitun -A- Tur
This “international frontier” crossing was almost deserted. Standing near one of the gates, trying to see into the terminal itself was not allowed today and we were yelled “to move back!” from a loudspeaker.
Al Ezariya
No checkpoint.
Container, (Wadi Nar) 15:30
A white Seat private car was being thoroughly searched when we arrived and the line of traffic backed up with at least twenty five vehicles. The car was pulled over to the side, the driver's ID was taken but returned to him after five minutes and he was allowed to drive away.
Throughout our shift, traffic flowed relatively quickly. One driver told us that he waited about 15 minutes which he thought was reasonable.
The arbitrary nature of the searches was obvious. There was one soldier checking although there were two lanes that could have been used. Sometimes he just waved through ten or twelve cars, and then he stopped a transit van for inspection. At 16:00, there was no soldier checking at all, and vehicles drove through keeping up a steady speed.
Workers returning from working in Maale Adumim or Mishor Adumim were driven to within 100 metres of the checkpoint and after that they walked. These were all men who looked clearly over the age of 35. They arrived in groups of ten to twenty.
A woman aged about 40 approached us. She wore a cross, western style clothing with jeans and a jacket. She was distressed, speaking good English and some Hebrew, repeating her story, pleading with us to help her. She is from Bethlehem and was on her way to Jerusalem seeking help. She is a single mother of twins now aged 17, a girl and a boy. She is desperate for financial help for her children, and a job for herself. Rahel gave her a name to be in contact with, and a note introducing her. Rahel will also email someone who might be able to find money for a scholarship for her daughter.
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.
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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)
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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.
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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.
Feb-06-2008Jerusalem, Damascus Gate: Return from prayer
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