Abu Dis, Epiphany at the Baptisal Site – Qaser el Yahud, on the Jordan River
Via French Hill to the
Epiphany at the Baptismal Site (Qasr el Yahud) on the
10:00 AM till 2:00 PM
We changed our routine and since it 
was a glorious day and we had heard about the Epiphany ceremonies for the Orthodox Christian communities, we were anxious to see how Checkpoints can run differently.
On the way down we saw major earthmoving and vast construction where the new terminal/passage from Anata and the Shuafat refugee camp is built. It will probably also enable a security check for the light railway, which will pass nearby on its way from 
Pisgat Zeev into town.
Across from the entrance to the new Border Police compound on the left a new roundabout has been constructed and a Border Police jeep was parked near the entrance to Issawiya leading to the new detour to A-Tur from the East.
We turned left on the “Ghandi” Road 90 towards Beit Shean and right after Gerasimos to the Baptismal Site where usually a locked gate in the middle of the road 
is only opened after special arrangements with the Parks’ Authority and the army. Now the fences were wide open and half-way the
About half of the parked cars and 
buses had Palestinian license plates. The churches at the site have been looted by reservists in the course of the occupation. They are now slowly being restored. On the Jordanian side the churches are well kept and we even saw a gold-covered tower. Down at the bottom we encountered a happy crowd of Christian Arabs and soldiers who acted more like tourists than occupiers. There were more chemical toilets and souvenir stands, mostly manned by staff of the Parks’ Authority which apparently has taken over the organization of the event on the Israeli side. Across the river we saw some Jordanian soldiers on the surrounding hills
As we walked down towards the water we encountered men and women who had taken a dip in the muddy water and were now changing into dry clothes, wringing out their wet gear and collecting the drops of water from it. Most were nuns. The river is narrow and hardly one meter deep (there is a pole to measure its depth). On the Jordanian side people were crowding on a platform above the river and threw a white dove into the water. They were waving across and through a loudspeaker we heard blessing to the Jews, which were answered by blessings to King Abdullah. After a rather long speech by the Jordanian leader across the river, he threw a cross, adorned with flowers, three times into the water and pulled it out again. It was dripping with muddy water, which was thrown over the cheering crowd, which caught the drops.
On the Israeli side a tiny part of the river was reserved for immersion and we saw a few nuns going in. Then the Syriac Piper Band (scouts from
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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Checkpoint Shu'afat camp / Anata-Shu'afat (Jerusalem)
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The Shu’afat checkpoint is located in the northern part of East Jerusalem at the exit from the village of Anata and the Shu’afat refugee camp, which are located in the area annexed to Jerusalem in 1967. The refugee camp borders the Shu’afat neighborhood to the west, Pisgat Ze’ev to the north, the French Hill neighborhood to the south and the planned expansion of Ma’aleh Adumim to E-1 in the east. It was established in 1966 for 1948 refugees from the West Bank and was populated after the Six Day War by persons who had been expelled from the Jewish Quarter. Today its population comprises some 25,000 people holding blue ID cards and some 15,000 people with Palestinian ID cards. The camp lacks adequate infrastructure and services, and suffers from poverty, neglect and overcrowding. All its buildings are connected to the public electricity and water infrastructure, but not all are connected to the sewer system. The camp’s services are provided by UNRWA, except for those such as health clinics and transportation of pupils to schools in Jerusalem. In 2005, the Israeli High Court of Justice rejected a suit by the residents requesting that the route of the separation fence be drawn such that the camp would remain on the Israeli side, but conditioned its approval of the route on the establishment of a convenient and rapid crossing facility for the inhabitants of the neighborhood, most of whom are residents of Jerusalem.
A temporary checkpoint operated there until December, 2011. It was extremely congested during rush hours, and dangerous for pedestrians (especially children) because of inadequate safety provisions. The new checkpoint was inaugurated south of the old one, for public and private transportation and for pedestrians, intended solely for the residents of the camp – holders of blue ID cards, and those with Palestinian ID cards who possess appropriate permits. There are five vehicle inspection stations at the checkpoint, and two for pedestrians (one of which is currently closed) where scanners have been installed but are not yet operating. According to the army, representatives of government agencies will also be present to provide services to residents of the neighbourhood. The pedestrian lanes are very long, located far from the small parking lots, and accessible through only a single revolving gate.
Anat TuegJan-19-2011Anata: new traffic circle at the exit junction
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