Sheikh Saed

We had heard rumors that our “friend” Y.  was back (with a vengeance) at Sheikh Saed,  so despite the fact that all looked quiet and empty at this time of the day and there were not even schoolchildren (vacation time) we entered. The soldiers didn’t mind. The loitering unemployed young men at the top called us and informed us that there had been no ‘change of the guards’ at the CP. When asked re the road to Sawakhre and whether it had been improved, they told that those are just rumors and that it is still in its old sad state. One of the men is trying (without much success) to sell his car which can only drive within the neighborhood. Ignored both by the Palestinians and by the soldiers we left.

We drove via Silwan where we found that at the bottom of the excavations someone had set fire to one of the exits in addition to the contents of a garbage frog we drove up towards Dung Gate via a potholed busy hazardous road where lots of excavations and construction is being carried out. Underneath the fancy City of David entrance is the shabby door to the Palestinian Wadi Hilweh Information Center ww.silwanic.net

We stopped near the descent to the Last Path to overlook Silwan and find the Jonathan House.

On the top of the Mount of Olives we noted that the second phase of the Maaleh Zeitim settlement still is not occupied. The Police Station’s renovations look expensive and beautiful.

We entered the narrow street under the Pish-Pash and found all doors and gates near the passage locked. There were a few drivers seeking shade from the oppressive heat near the Olive Terminal – the parking lot can only be used for public transport vehicles.

We turned left on the round-about under the Border Police HQs into Issawiya. There were no soldiers. On the way up we met a reinforced police van and a Border Police jeep coming down before we entered the center of the village where on both sides of the road youngsters with rocks in their hand were ready to start throwing; a scary (and VERY unexpected) experience. The street was full of stones, but we saw no Border Police presence at the top near the gas station when we exited.