Back to reports search page

Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Thu 3.6.10, Morning

Place: Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket) Container (Wadi Nar) Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal)
Tags: Children Passage Restrictions Women
Observers: Shosh H., Michaela R. (reporting)
Jun-03-2010
| Morning

 

 6:45 Zeitim Crossing

Traffic is flowing in lanes 1 and 2.  Most of the time the turnstiles are open, allowing people to arrange their baggage on the x-ray machine when the person in front is already opposite the checking booth, thus making the process more efficient.

The problems, again, arose in lane 3, the children's lane where the turnstile was closed most the time; when opened, it was only for a few seconds, resulting in very slow crossing.

 

7:30  Wadi Nar

Crossing flows, delays are few and short.
A few minutes after our arrival, the soldiers clustered around us to talk of our views of the flotilla.  The conversation went in several directions (the significance of the Wadi Nar checkpoint, occupation, security, human rights and more). What is so striking each time is their profound ignorance of the history and geography of Israel.  

This ignorance, together with the sense of eternal victimization and existential dread — the "all the world is against us" syndrome, frequently expressed during the conversation — is the source of the extreme and hard-hearted identity of these youngsters.

Az-Za'ayyem

 

A heavily pregnant woman carrying an infant was checked by several people and also taken to the booth — but then sent back.

She has a permit to enter Israel, but not through this checkpoint where only owners of blue IDs may cross.  We tried to persuade the soldier to consider her condition and bend the rule just this once but to no avail.

Passengers of a minibus alight, the vehicle is checked, and the passengers return after their papers are checked.  The procedure is quick.

.  

  • 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.

Donate