Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Wed 20.2.08, Morning
A day after the smow without a trace the children go to school – some on a donkey, and some walking, who knows how many kilometers. Some come from the area of Keidar to the schools in Jerusalem beyond the checkpoint. The child who arrived with a donkey ties him with a rope and looks at us suspiciously. It seems that he is afraid that because of us he might not find the donkey when he returns from school, and the donkey who is doomed to hours of waiting is not content either. At the checkpoint itself – all through our stay at the place – about half an hour – there were no delays in the thin traffic (we were surprised by how thin it was. Maybe it was the result of the snow in Hebron).
We had a nice talk with A., the representative of the DCO. We were glad to hear that there is a representative of the DCO in the place all day long. He mentioned again the worrying news (that does not sound logical, but who knows) that they might enlarge the checkpoint and make is a permanent station.
On the way from Wadi Naar we call Nava and Neta who are in Sho'afat checkpoint. They don't need us to replace them today, but if we had to get there – it would have taken us at least 40 minutes, since the road leading from Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem and to Ez- Zaim checkpoint is jammed. When we get to Zeitim passage there is only a trickle of people going into Jerusalem. We check how long it takes a person who has just come out of the checkpoint and entered a van that goes to Jerusalem. Well, he has to wait for the van to come and then fill up – twenty minutes, and this is in the rush hour in the morning.
08:50 Cliff hotel
The area of the Pishpash is as empty as usual. The road up to the Cliff hotel is blocked by a car that the soldiers at the checkpoint would not let go through. On the other side there is a toll track waiting to go to Abu Dis. About ten minutes later a huge van of the settlers who live in the house behind the checkpoint near the hotel arrives, and goes through immediately while exchanging hearty greetings with the soldiers. They are really the lords of the land. Until when, until when?
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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