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Abu Dis, Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sheikh Saed, Thu 18.4.13, Morning

Place: Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket) Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal) Sheikh Sa'ed
Observers: Rahel M., Michaela R. (reporting)
Apr-18-2013
| Morning

 

 
        

 

 
 
 
6:10 Sheikh Saed
 
The corridor is overflowing, more than 20 are crowded in it.  Crossing is c. 8 minutes.
A young man is denied crossing. Later 8 men had to turn back, some even without being checked.
 
Cliff Hotel
 
Notices from the Land Administration hang on the numerous fences warning against entry into the area, subject to risk of life.
 
Close to the fence, there is a notice about the purchase of the hotel, saying inter alia:
"…(the property) is required for a facility for military and security purposes, to create a barrier on the seam (henceforth, the pupose of the purchase)… The area is required for coping with terror, to bar, intercept and prevent terrorist infiltration from Judaea and Samaria into Israel in general and the Jerusalem precinct in particular.
In view of which the Minister of Finance intends to purchase the right of use of this land [Cliff Hotel] for a period of ten years…"
The notice is dated 29.1.2013, and signed Yuval Steinitz, Minister of Finance.
Well?!  The building has been appropriated by the army for years, so why this sudden purchase?  Isn't the wall sufficient to bar, intercept, prevent etc. without including the building?  Or is there a connection between the setllement of Kidmat Zion, the entrance to which is via the hotel's courtyard?
The building itself is neglected, the windows shattered.
 
A shiny jeep with windows protected by metal sheets against stone-throwing, carrying 4 burly males, arrives.  The soldier tells them they have no permit, but after a pleasant conversation he opens the gate, and they're on their way.
 
A female settler from Kidmat Zion leaves in her car.
 
Olive Terminal
 
On our way in we observe a female soldier, her legs propped on the table, busy with her cell phone.  As we left, one of the men crossing complained that her fiddling with the cell phone was time wasted at his expense.
 
The lines in the corridors are short.
 
An angry woman asked to turn back after her son (?) was sent to another corridor.  The turnstile cannot turn back, and she addresses the soldiers angrily in Arabic.  They shout back at her in Hebrew through the loudspeakers.
 

 

  • Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket)

    See all reports for this place

    •  

      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.

  • Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal)

    See all reports for this place

    • 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.

  • 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.

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