Abu Dis, Container Wednesday 27.10.04 PMObservers: NR, YR, AF, TF (reporter)Guest: M (American student)14:50 Cliff HotelNobody in sight outside, except for a few pedestrians crossing behind the Hotel. The first floor window is half open, the soldiers are unseen. On the ground are large hollow concrete cubes. 2 female soldiers peep from the 3rd floor window. We ask about the cubes. One of the soldiers reply they are for the construction of the wall.Beside the wall near the Hotel a sort of sidewalk has been added.On the way back, near the gas station, in front of the wall, there’s a BP jeep and a group of tourists, listening to a captain’s lecture. On their cloths they have badges saying “Anti Terrorist Fence”. When we approach the BP asks us to leave. We ask who the group is but the answer given to us by a soldier belonging to IDF Spokesperson is “a group”. We hear the guide mentioning the 9/11 four times and speaking about the wall being humanitarian for having 4 gates in it. After the lecture is over the BP explains he doesn’t have anything against us, only it was impolite to disturb the lecture.15:15 Pishpash gateNo soldiers or BPs in sight. More than usual traffic because of a bus stuck in the middle of the road. The usual opening is blocked, but children and young men still manage to get through. The more active passage is on the other side. A taxi driver says they discovered that the army has blocked the opening last Thursday, on their way to the daily evening Ramadan prayer. The following morning a new opening has appeared on the other side, which made the soldiers very angry, according to the taxi driver, but they hadn’t the means to block it. We asked why they don’t just remove the entire wall at the pishpash. The driver says there are too many informers.15:40 Az-Za’ayyem checkpointA very long line of cars.15:55 ContainerLow traffic. 2 persons in the detainees shed. According to the soldier, they have been waiting about 20 minutes for a “check-up”. Shortly later the checkpoint is filled. 16:10A bus going south is stopped. A soldier mounts. Everyone raises their hands. A passenger is poking his head outside the window and asks us where’s peace. About 20 people are taken off the bus and sent to the shed. The 2 former detainees are released by now, and the bus goes on its way.Pedestrians are passing on without disturbance.The line on the Jerusalem lane, where the checkpoint commander is standing by himself, is going fast, while the other line, with a soldier and a DCO representative, is much slower. 16:202 men are trying to go south in an open van carrying a bedroom. The soldiers refuse the passage because it is private car without a permit. The driver, 21 years old, says young unmarried men find it hard to get permits. The fast is about to end in 30 minutes. The soldiers agree it would be humanitarian to let the men pass, but say it’s not possible. We approach A., the commander, who seeks to stay away from the problematic persons. He says there’s nothing he can do. We insist and he says that he might let the men pass 2 hours later, emphasizing the word “maybe”.17:00All the detainees in the shed are released. Another van is approaching the checkpoint, going southwards. It is sent back as well. The driver, an older man, says his permit has expired 10 days ago, and he couldn’t renew it at the DCO because of the closure. A truck carrying a private car is sent back as well because the car has no permit. The truck returns after 15 minutes, without the car.17:10Another man arrives, named J.. He has no permit. He drives a work van, but the DCO representative says it’s a private car with no permit.The man sits down, his entire body shaking from nerves and the fast. He says it happens to him every time he meets the soldiers, and he can’t drive in this state. One soldier proposes we call an ambulance for him. To our request to let the man pass a soldier says “he can die here as far as we’re concerned”. The commander is keeping away the whole time. We try to persuade the soldiers, remind them these men have been fasting all day and can’t get home to Bethlehem. All the soldiers have to say are thing like “these are regulations” and “we are only doing our duty”.We try calling several persons from the DCO, manage to find only Aid, he says he would try.The checkpoint is emptied. Another van full of passengers is sent back for lack of permits. When we go away at 17:45, there are only J. and the 2 men from the first van still waiting. Aid says Rafi Amsalem of the DCO is on his way to the checkpoint to check things out. 17:55 Az-Za’ayyem checkpointNo line, no detainees.18:17J. informs us no one has been in the checkpoint and no one has been released. We call Rafi Amsalem. He says he was at the checkpoint and there was no “particular mess”. We ask about the detainees and the shaking man. He says he would call the commander. 20:30J. is sending an SMS saying the other 2 men went back, and he intends to sleep in his car at the checkpoint.21:15We manage for the first time to call and talk to Avi Biton, the chief commander of the BP soliders at the Container. He’s matter of fact: “I won’t try to help, I’ll go let him pass”.We call J.. He’s still near the checkpoint. 15 minutes later he’s still there. We call Avi Biton again. He asks to call again in 15 minutes. We call him again and he says J. has been released 5 minutes after our last call. He didn’t go himself but heard him being released on the phone. 22:40Last call to J.: no answer.