Abu-Dis, Sawahre Thursday morning, 27 May 2004 Watchers: Sylvia P., Ruthy R., Levana R. (reporting) 6:30. We traveled in the direction of the Cliff Hotel. The road was open. We observed the settlers’ house. An upsurge in the display of Israeli flags is evident – on the roof, on an awning and on a barrel. We saw a Border Police jeep traveling in the direction of the settlement. At the Pishpash gate (Bawwabeh checkpoint) there were no soldiers; people crossed freely and resumed their daily routine. At 7:00, we arrived at the Container (Sawahre). All appeared to be flowing smoothly; most people cross; detainees wait no more than 10 minutes; cars cross and sometimes are sent back the way they came. Apparently the reason [for the latter] is that there’s a lack of permits sufficient for the present shift. To the observer, the matter of cars crossing is a mystery without any logic. The soldiers on duty complain that the next shift hasn’t arrived to relieve them – they are tired after 10 consecutive hours at the checkpoint.We met two Ecumenical volunteers [a human rights organization], wearing their identifying red hats, who live in the village of Sawahre. They told us about the additional paved area near the checkpoint (construction works started three weeks ago while we were there) – a new “transit” taxi-van station. It emerges that just past where people cross the checkpoint, they can “conveniently” find transportation within sight of the soldiers — but someone who crosses at a distance from the checkpoint cannot easily sneak into a van and disappear. They told us that the landowner, who lives opposite the checkpoint, constructed the paved lot in accordance with the army, in order to allow the transit vans to park there and all these in exchange of 15 shekels per day per vehicle. Since there are 40 transits, the account is simple: the man makes 600 shekels a day. The arrangement started only today. We will see what happens during the next closure.We saw this same landowner crossing freely through the checkpoint, joking with the soldiers and trying to negotiate with the orange taxi drivers on the other side. Maybe he wants to build a parking lot for them too, and get a cut of their breadwinning as well as the transit drivers… 7:40. There was a shift change. The soldiers on duty look full of energy. They stop more people at the pedestrian walkway (students, and young women wearing traditional dress). We observed the soldiers inspecting the people’s belongings, especially searching among their books. They ask one another and also the detainees what is written in the forms (they don’t read Arabic). At the beginning they detained people for not more than 10 minutes. But, towards the time we needed to leave, they detained a group for a long time. We talked with one detainee, a social worker. He lives in Hebron and works with children in Ramallah. He generally stays over in Ramallah with the children. Before we left we called the DCO [IDF Civilian Administration, that issues passage permits] in order to try to shorten the waiting time of the detainees. They promised to help. When we left he and other detainees were still there. Sylvia took the social worker’s telephone number in order to check if they were released quickly. When we were back, it turned out that he had been allowed to cross, but that the group was being detained. He also told that the soldiers asked the other detainees to tell him not to talk to us. It is their way to intimidate and prevent people from communicating with us. According to his testimony, one of the detainees was taken for further investigation in a BP jeep.Another man, who drives a pickup truck, came to ask for help; a family man living in Qalqiliya, who holds all the necessary documents and permits. Yesterday they let him cross on the way to Bethlehem. He worked there for the Municipality in some pipe repair. Yesterday evening they didn’t let him cross back. The same is happening this morning. We called the DCO. Promises… We only managed to call him an hour later and he was still at the checkpoint. The DCO was busy so Sylvia called another number. They said that there is a closure in effect and they can do nothing but they supplied another telephone number. A call to this number brought the release of the pickup: within three minutes he was on his way home!!!When we returned to the Pishpash gate [pedestrians’ roadside passage] it was still open. The taxi drivers told that nothing really changed. Gili the officer continues shouting, insulting and cursing. Jubran is on vacation. One of the drivers said that they wrote a letter of complaint to the military authorities.Summary comment: This is what’s called an ordinary day.