Abu Dis, ContainetTue. 17.05.05 p.m.Observers: Chana G., Rina H., Rahel W (reporting) guestWe went first to the Cliff Hotel. Saw no border police anyplace. Work going on opposite the hotel on the road leading to the Moskowitz settlement. A sidewalk is to be laid. By the time we got back to our car, there were two borderpolice jeeps and about 8 BPs going through exercises. They were running around, aiming their rifles, etc.Back to the pishpash. As soon as we got there, several men approached us saying “where were you a few hours ago”. They went on to report the following:In the early morning, the border police, armed with sticks, did not allow the children to cross over to get to school.Later, a pregnant woman ready to give birth was not allowed to get to hospital.Later still, the makeshift stand where an old man sold coffee to support himself was burned to the ground and all the coffee spilled out. (When we arrived at about 2:30, the area was still smoldering).We were told that the ring leader of all these abuses was a BP soldier by the name of Sh.. They said that he is the worst!!! The men who reported these happenings to us were so riled up that they said they were themselves going to register a complaint. We crossed over through the monastery and went to the Container. Things moved very quickly there. One car, belonging to an official of the PA Ministry of Education was not allowed through. The owner renewed his permit yesterday at Beit El, but the color of the car on the new permit was listed as white (the actual color was a bright green) and there was a discrepancy in the registration number. A woman DCO representative was on the phone for over a half hour trying to sort things out, but in the end, the driver had no choice but to leave his car there and continue on to Ramallah in a taxi.When we got back to the pishpash, there were border police stopping every Palestinian car and slapping heavy fines on the drivers (unfastened seat belts, bad brakes, and other infringements). Blue police were there writing out the fines as quickly as they could.When we asked the B.P. why it is always in the Arab neighborhoods that the police become so diligent about car safety procedures, he said that that is the law and they were simply carrying out the law. Abu Dis was his “beat”. Other police deal with the Jewish neighborhoods. Right!!One of the Palestinians standing there looked at us and said “You didn’t do anything”. Essentially, he was right. We said that all that we can do is report what we saw.——————————————————————————–