Abu DIs, Sawahre Wednesday 13.4.05 PMObservers: Laura S., Daniela G. (reporting).Cliff Hotel – 15:15: No one was there, not even soldiers on the top floor to shoo us away.Former Pishpah – 15:20: Soldiers everywhere. 3 on the way up to the Pishpash doing very little. 3 at the former Pishpash itself, checking IDs of people climbing over it towards Jerusalem despite being told that their IDs had been checked minutes ago at the “new” CP near the Al Ezariya cemetery. Needless to say, only blue IDs can go thru. Those desiring to go in the opposite direction, towards Al Ezariya, are forbidden to climb over the former Pishpash, directed instead to the monastery but their IDs are not requested. Two of the soldiers were quite affable and willing to chat, telling us that soon the whole area will be sealed off completely and the purpose of sending people via the monastery was to have them get used to the fact that in no time it will no longer be possible to go over the Pishpash. Down at the New CP almost all men Jerusalem bound had to hand in their IDs and wait for the soldier in the jeep to write down the details, but it took just a few minutes. The soldiers were somewhat more lenient towards the women. They only had to show they had a blue ID. Back at the Pishpash, now there is a soldier checking IDs at the monastery gate as well. A young mother is trying to persuade the soldier to let her thru even though she has an orange ID. However, she does have a card saying she belongs to Maccabi health service and she claims that that is where she is headed. Her little boy is sick. The soldier refuses, saying she needs a permit. We intervene, an Arabic speaking soldier is called, and with our and her pleading he succumbs and lets her go thru. We thank him and then discover that there are more soldiers on the other side of the dirt mound, the one preventing cars from driving from the Pishpash to Jerusalem. It is a flying CP. They stop traffic going into East Jerusalem, mainly taxis, and write down the details of almost all passengers and pedestrians. It sure takes a while, and until the soldier in charge finishes, he will not talk to us, let alone have us communicate with the other soldiers. By the time he is finally thru, he answers our questions reluctantly, claiming he trusts no one, neither the Palestinians, nor us. Container – 17:00: As soon as we arrive, the unpleasant soldier with whom we had a row last week rushes to the metal barrier and closes it. Passage of traffic in both directions is relatively swift. IDs of passengers are checked at random, those of pedestrians are not checked at all. 2 young students from Abu Dis are detained for some 15 minutes while their IDs are being checked and we are demanded not to make conversation with them while they wait.