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Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Tue 30.12.08, Morning

Place: Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket) Container (Wadi Nar) Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal)
Observers: Anat T., Shira V. (reporting)
Dec-30-2008
| Morning

 

 

 

7:00  Sheikh Saed
Few crossing, and no visible problems.  Black flags are mounted on some of the vehicles in the neighbourhood.  We tried to find out from the residents whether the events in Gaza affect their departure for work in Israel (and whether that is the reason for today's sparse crossing).  It seems not, judging by our brief conversations.
7:55  Zeitim Crossing
On its western Palestinian side, the checkpoint was almost empty.  Two corridors were open and a few persons crossed without delay.
8:30  Wadi Nar
Sparse vehicular traffic.  Delayed vehicles were released within minutes.  We met the DCO representative, just as he was leaving; he had been at the checkpoint, he said, since 6 a.m.  He told us that DCO representatives arrive several times a day.  But we gathered that there is no regular representative throughout the day.
8:30  The protest tent in Wadi Joz
The two tents from last week are still standing.  A black flag to identify with the residents of Gaza has been hung.  Several European activists spend the night there.  They tell us that yesterday a delegation of the European Union visited.  In the course of our conversation two women from the nearby homes on the other side of the road arrive.  They report of eviction notices whose due date was yesterday.  The women are on the verge of tears; they say the families' lawyers (representing several dozen persons) have given up, and they don't know when the authorities will arrive to evict them.  We spoke with Meir Margalit of the Committee Against House Demolitions (and a member of the municipal council).  He told us that he is familiar with the issue, that from the procedural-juridical point of view all possiblities have been exhausted, and that the only way to arrest the process is through international pressure.  He also said that they had been to see the American Consul who was "very anxious" about the affair.  And added that another 27 families were threatened (at various legal stages) with eviction from their homes.  He believes that they will all be served eviction notices in the coming months.
We updated the Peace Now team tracking this matter on these recent developments.
   

  • 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.

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