Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Sun 18.1.09, Afternoon
The Container: 15:40-16:40
4-5 soldiers in the middle of the crossing were controlling the traffic, the stations further down the road towards Bethlehem were not in use. There are no more pedestrians crossing the checkpoint. The workers get off cabs on one side, and on to cabs on the other.
The "commander" of the checkpoint, as he introduced himself, approached us twice to tell us that we are standing too close. At first "for our safety" since "we could be run over" and then, again "for our safety" but now because this is a "military zone". So we walked away towards El-Azariya and he could say nothing. We chose to watch the checkpoint from the northern side, opposite the "box", as there was considerably more traffic going southwards than northbound.
The vehicles (southwards) were queuing up to ten minutes, to reach the checkpoint. Buses, sheruts, taxis and sometimes a private car were checked for IDs of the passengers. Several times a vehicle had to park and wait next to the stations further down the road for the IDs of the passengers to be checked by the soldiers.
Someone who had been in the vehicle had to walk up to the soldiers to get the IDs back. There was one sherut which was detained for over twenty minutes.
The soldiers' procedure seemed arbitraty. Sometimes all vehicles were just let through without further checking and whilst one bus had to wait almost twenty minutes at the checkpoint, another one was done in no time.
All in all, the soldiers were unhappy to see us there whilst passengers of the vehicles smilingly waved to us.
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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