Abu Dis, Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sheikh Saed
7:00 Olive Terminal
Little children have to live with the checkpoint day by day: they cross from Al-Ezariya to A-Tur in Jerusalem without their parents (who are prohibited), on the way to the good schools and kindergartens on the Mount of Olives. Some are without older siblings. Their merriment manages to ignore the system, occupying them while they wait for transportation. And we think of what their parents must be feeling, when sending them off unprotected. What if something happens on the other side?
The checkpoint is intermittently crowded, sometimes one and sometimes two crossings are open (except for the crossing to the DCO which is still closed). People move from one lane to the other trying to shorten the waiting time. A young student is turned back because of a permit, but his friends who have already crossed come to his aid with a document, and in the end he crosses. Dafna is reminded of the strategies of children in the ghetto…
We meet the teacher of the Lazarus Monastery kindergarten, accompanying a single child from El-Azariya; she tells us the child is the only remaining one of all the children of El Azariya, living only a few meters away but on the other side of the wall, and have given up. Now the kindergarten is occupied only by children living on the Israeli side of the wall.
People tell of the young man from Hebron whose permit was torn up (as we reported last week). They explained then that the permit was valid, but issued to a merchant and admittedly bought in order to cross and find employment in construction. It turns out that the man waited obstinately until 16:00, and then the policemen came out and told him that it was a mistake… We try to obtain a response from the checkpoint commander and from the local DCO but to no avail. Perhaps last week we had accepted the reasons of the checkpoint people too hastily. We promise to continue investigating what really happened, and what the subsequent fate of the permit and the young man.
7:45 Abu Dis (on the other side of the former Pishpash)
In the wake of our meeting with the kindergarten teacher, we drive to the neighbouring Abu Dis, which fought to remain on the Israeli side, to see what has changed. The stench of sewage greets us, and the security road abutting on the parking lot of the homes (and reducing the public space to a minimum) is under lock and key. It seems to be never used any more. The wall is up against the eastern facade of the houses, blocking windows, balconies, etc.
8:25 Sheikh Saed
Other than progress in the construction of a very high wall south of the neighbourhood, there is no change in the checkpoint. There's no work being done on the construction of a permanent building near the supporting wall. The mountain of garbage has been nibbled into, and the transportation "shabab" stand above and watch with indifference. On the other hand, there is progress in the construction of the parking lot intended for Sheikh Saed residents without blue ID's who are not allowed to enter the checkpoint in their cars. The lot is situated some 200 meters south of the checkpoint and is entirely empty, with the exception of 2 Palestinian workers, one from Beit Hanina and one from Ramallah. We wonder why the work was not apportioned to the locals — did they refuse, or is someone taking the trouble to divert Palestinian labour?
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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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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Sheikh Sa'ed
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A checkpoint limited to pedestrians, located on Jerusalem’s municipal boundary.
The checkpoint sits on the separation fence at the entrance to Sheikh Sa’ad, dividing it from its neighbourhood of Jabel Mukkabar. It’s manned by Border Police soldiers and private security companies and operates 24 hours a day. Palestinians are forbidden to go through, other than residents of Jabel Mukkabar or Sheikh Sa'ad who have permits. Both groups are permitted through only on foot. Residents of East Jerusalem who don’t live in Jabel Mukkabar are also allowed to cross to Sheikh Sa’ad, but not in the opposite direction; they must return through the Sawahira ash Sharqiya checkpoint.
Yona EyalJan-7-2026Jerusalem: Nof Zion settlement within the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood
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