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Abu Dis, Sheikh Saed, Mon 21.2.11, Afternoon

Place: Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket) Sheikh Sa'ed
Observers: natanya G., Phyllis W.
Feb-21-2011
| Afternoon

   

We drove to Qalandiya through Jabel Mikhaber and Sheikh Saed (a quarter of Jabel Mukhaber defined as "not in Jerusalem" although Jabel Mukhaber itself is considered a part of Jerusalem).  At the start of our journey we followed the sign to Nof Zion (an Israeli settlement), the only sign in a much larger Palestinian neighbourhood.  At the bottom of the hill, where the road turns to Sheikh Saed we saw some heavy construction gear digging into the earth. Our immediate reponse was to say that Moskovich must be building a new settlement, so we stopped the car and went to check. We breathed a sigh of relief when we found out that the machinery was preparing the infrastructure for a local football field.
 
Sheikh Saed
 
We arrived at 14:00 and entered the neighbourhood on foot as do the owners of a permit or a blue  ID, passing through the turnstile in the separation wall.
 
A number of taxis stood near the wall, and one of the drivers offered to take us to see the road connecting the neighbourhood to other Palestinian villages separated from Jerusalem.  This is the only way open to Palestinians without permits (as well as the only way in for goods and produce, as well as ambulances, for residents without permits).  The day before the road had been closed due to heavy rains which caused flooding in the Kidron River which is the sewage system draining sewage from Silwan and Jabel Mukhaber (a Jerusalem suburb, as we noted) to the Dead Sea.  Residents who called the Jerusalem Municipality for help were told that the municipality does not deal with such problems in the West Bank.  Eventually the blockage caused by the downpour was prized open and cleared by the pressure of the accumulating water.
 
Our driver  told us that basic products like milk and bread arrive only 2-3 times a week via Sheikh Saed. We asked why they had not asked the Palestinian Authority to improve the road and were told that they had been advised by a lawyer not to do so lest the IDF close the existing passage to Jabel Mukhaber (through which we had come), and then everyone, including owners of blue ID's, would be compelled to use the Palestinian road which also entails a long detour.
 

  • 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.

  • Sheikh Sa'ed

    See all reports for this place

    • 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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