Abu Dis – Wadi Nar Friday, August 28th, AMwatchers: Michal Z, Rita M (reporting)Abu Dis- Wall and Hotel:We arrived around 9.30, after receiving a phone call from a man who had been held up together with several others for at least an hour at the gas station, their IDs were taken away by BP who drove off in a jeep. After we got to the wall, the detainees were asked to go to the garden of the Cliff Hotel – two of the women were brought up the hill by a BP jeep. We talked to the BP soldiers there about speeding up the process. At first the BP were cocky and argumentative. A young BP, A. who claimed he was the one in charge, started ordering one of the held-up men around, deriving power from the big gun in his hands, yelling out “don’t stand there, go near the others”. It seemed totally arbitrary to us, that the man could not stand where he was, just a little distance to the side, needing a smoke. He certainly was not about to run away without his ID. It was simply humiliating to be ordered around like that.There are about 14 people at first, men and women, including three men who had been in the hotel garden since 8.30, but most of the women received their ID’s back quickly. We talked to the BP in a jeep that arrived around 10.00 and finally one of the BP told A. to speed things up; “start to work” – so perhaps he was the commander? (in other words, A. and the others were just holding things up…)Indeed, after some time they started to call the men, one by one, to the window on the side of the hotel, where they answered questions, and must sign a form in Arabic (they all know already that it is a statement affirming they have not been beaten) and in Hebrew. There was a discussion among the detained men, they all said they will refuse to sign a statement in Hebrew that they cannot read, even if the BP would read it to them out loudly. Still, in the end, all of them did sign whatever they were asked to, realizing they won’t get their ID back otherwise. One of them sid to us ‘every week I will come again, to pray – no matter what I sign – if they catch me, they do, it won’t stop me’.One of the men was caught without his ID – it was lost. His father was called and brought his own ID, in which his son was written, and his son’s drivers’ license. We interfered, and eventually they let the young man go.Abu Dis – Pishpash gate:Here jeeps came and went – there were about three different jeeps, each with at least two BPs. At this hour, towards 11, there was a lot of traffic – people going to pray, or carrying their goods to market. The BP in the jeeps used their horns and megaphones, ordering people around, abruptly yelling at the buses to move out of the way while people are stepping in. At times the BP got out and stood near the concrete blocks by the transits and bared “go home” (habayta) to people who did not have blue ID’s or the proper permits.Sawahre (Wadi Nar) – Container CheckpointAs previously reported, this checkpoint keeps being built up more and more. After the caravan three turn styles have also appeared at the end of the pedestrian lines. As for the caravan, it seems to have only one little window with bars – we wonder if it is a place to detain or interrogate people in, it certainly does not seem comfortable for the soldiers.Checking here was efficient. At first all were allowed through, then young men especially, were asked to come out of the taxis and have their ID’s checked – but it did not take more than ten to fifteen minutes to do so. Nobodywas being held up just for the sake of being held up, as a punishment or a show of power. We left to join the demonstration at the Wall in Abu Dis, with Arun Ghandi.