Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Wed 23.7.08, Morning
Close to 10 vehicles — mostly transits and a few private cars –were detained when we arrived. Some of them reported a half-hour wait. There was much traffic, and crossing was desultory. A line of about 20-30 cars stretches in front of the check-point, northward. We immediatly asked to speak to the commander in charge. To us he was polite but at the Palestinians he shouted aggressively to get back into their cars, and at one point he asked us not to stand near them because we cause them to get out of their transits. We asked him to speed up the checks. Within a few minutes the documents for most of the cars were returned, one after another. Afterwards, a random delay of vehicles and transits continued, most released after a few minutes. In conversation with the commander we were told that there is an alert on a specific private vehicle (and this could have been the cause of the unusual, relatively speaking, ratio of delays.)
8:00 ZEITIM CROSSING
The crossing is relatively empty. We entered without any problem. We asked to see Y. and/or G., the police commanders of the c.p.; both came and we talked to them at length. Among other things they told us that in the mornings, daily, c. 500 schoolchildren cross (not during vacation time), and c. 1500 adults. They claimed they open the c.p. as early as 4:30 a.m. to enable more efficient crossing of workers arriving from Bethlehem and even Katnah, in order to cross here rather than at Kalandia or Crossing #300.
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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