Abu Dis and Sawahre Friday 2/07/04A.M.Observers: Michal Z., Barbara S., Avital B. (reporting)Visitors: Najwa, Sara9 a.m. On the way to Abu Dis: A relatively small number of police and border police present in the area of the Old City.9:15 Abu Dis: The wall hasn’t progressed but an ominous watch tower has been erected: according to the residents it is still unmanned. The watchtower stands directly above a house which is totally surrounded by the wall.9:45 The Pishpash gate: A few people cross over the wall. According to the drivers, there were no soldiers there that morning. 10:15 At the Container: People are crossing the wadi by foot: the Border policemen are not reacting. The checkpoint is open but there is a long queue of trucks and taxis coming from the direction of Bethlehem. When we arrived there were two ambulances exchanging patients “back to back”. The Border police checked the identity cards of all the passengers but didn’t detain anyone. At one stage we saw that a number of people were made to leave their taxi and were not permitted to continue traveling northwards. When we enquired as to why they were not allowed to pass, the checkpoint commander said that an order had been given not to allow passage through the checkpoint to any Hebron residents until further notice. Trucks from Hebron were also not permitted to pass although he said that exceptions were made for trucks transporting milk products or for humanitarian purposes.The examination of all the identity cards slows the passage considerably , especially as only three Border policemen man the checkpoint with only one actually checking (every time the soldier takes a break to drink, the operation of the checkpoint is halted). We requested that the checkpoint commander speed up the process and not halt the checking of cards but his reply was that the other soldiers could not take over as “each has his own job to do even if you don’t see it”.11:30 As we left the checkpoint we saw a BP jeep stop a small truck. According to our driver this is not the first time he has seen this. The truck was stopped because it carried Israeli license plates (yellow) and Israeli taxis and transport vans are not licensed to work in the occupied territories. The driver said that because the Maale Adumim police station was closed on Fridays the driver wouldn’t be taken for questioning but would “merely” have his keys confiscated until the soldiers see fit to return them. He told of a driver caught for the same “crime” who was taken to Maaleh Adumim and fined 500 sh. ( the cost of a Palestinian License number is 10,000 sh.)11:45 When we returned to the Pishpash gate and prepared to climb over the wall, two border policemen suddenly appeared (for the first time that day according to the residents), peered at the climbers, screamed at one of the visitors accompanying us “do not photograph” and left the way they came.