Abu Dis, Sheikh Saed, Silwan, Thu 7.10.10, Morning

Place: Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket) Sheikh Sa'ed Silwan

Observers: Yehudith S., Michaela R.

Oct-07-2010

| Morning

6:30 Sheikh Saed

10-15 persons waiting in line; waiting time c. 5 minutes — relatively slow for the small number of people entitled to cross at this checkpoint.

Sawaharra

No vehicles crossing today. According to the security guard there is a breakdown in the electrical system and they are unable to open the metal barriers and the two gates which drivers must cross. The turnstile too is not working and people must cross outside the building.

On our way back we notice that on the yellow barrier there are instructions for manual opening. This, it seems, is too hard for the soldiers; easier to send the drivers back.

Shouts are audible from inside the building — whether this is the sound soldiers' having fun or something more sinister we cannot tell.

Silwan

The neighbourhood is deceptively quiet. Palestinians and settlers are going about their business, as though this were the most ordinary place in the world. There was a manned checkpoint at the entrance to the neighbourhood but no one was prevented from crossing as far as we could see.

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.
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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Silwan
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- Silwan is south of the Old City of Jerusalem and has become one of the main confrontation areas with settlers.

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Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket)

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