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Abu Dis, Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sheikh Saed, Tue 2.6.09, Afternoon

Place: Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket) Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal) Sheikh Sa'ed
Observers: Chana G., Rahel W. (reporting)
Jun-02-2009
| Afternoon
.
We decided to return to Sheikh Saed after being away from there for many months.  The passing has been further fortified with double rows of fencing and barbed wire.  (We did notice that near the garbage heap to the right of the crossing, some of the barbed wire had been moved downward so that it would be possible to get across if one managed to escape the kleig lights and spotting of the soldiers in the tower.

 
When we arrived, dozens of children were returning from school.  However, the area where thriving shops once stood now appears to have been abandoned.  There was not a soul around.  We tried to speak to the border police there but they pointedly ignored us.

We continued on to Abu Dis (which was almost deserted) and the Cliff Hotel whose state of disrepair has only grown worse.  There is now  permanent metal fence across the crossing area which is opened only upon presentation of appropriate documents.  Some visitors from the US wanted to visit their family but could get through only after their relatives came to the checkpoint and identified them.



We walked between the houses to get a look at the Moskowitz settlement  (which seems not to have changed at all).  Also, the still incompleted wall is unchanged.  However, as we looked off into the distance, we noticed a large complex of new buildings (still apparently unoccupied) to the left of the UN center.  We asked one of the local residents what that was and he said it was a new settlement! in West Sawahra.  He did not know its name.  He then went on to say "they are building everyplace.  What can we do"

 
We continued on past the Zeitun crossing which was quiet but  we could see very little.  On our way back, the main road was blocked so we were diverted to side roads.  A most pleasant man stopped his car (apparently surprised to find two clearly Israeli women wandering through the area) and asked if we were lost.  We told him we were en route to Augusta Victoria and he graciously directed us.  I never stop being amazed at how so many people maintain their sense of decency in spite of the hardships to which they are daily subjected.

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  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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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