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Abu Dis, Thu 18.11.10, Morning

Place: Abu Dis / Lazarus gate (formerly The Wicket)
Observers: Shosh H., Michaela R. (reporting)
Nov-18-2010
| Morning

 

 
 
 
In general: it's the last day of the Feast of the Sacrifice.  Fewer commercial vehicles; more private cars with festively dressed families.
 
 
7:00 Wadi Nar
 
In contrast to recent observations, today all vehicles are checked.  Everything slows down, although the checks are superficial.  The line stretches as far as the wadi, dozens of vehicles crawling.
 
Before we had reached our usual observation spot, a border policeman tries to shoo us away with "yallah, yallah" and upgrades with threats in ungrammatically gendered Hebrew (untranslatable):   "If you don't make yourselves scarce in 5 minutes, I arrest you"; continues with a declaration that this is a closed military area and ends with: "I'll kick you upstairs".
 
After a few minutes the checkpoint commander, M., arrives, checks on the phone and approves our usual position.  We complain of the vulgar behaviour of his inferior and he promises to deal with this.
 
Most of the time vehicles are checked in one lane only, although there are two, and sufficient man power.
One truck turns back in the direction of Bethlehem.  A few minutes it returns and crosses without checks.
At some point the checks and delays stop.  All vehicles cross with never a glance in their direction.  When the security forces take a coffee break all existential threats are suspended.

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  • 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.

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