Abu-Dis, The Container Friday 7.4.2006, 9:15 – 13:00 AMobservers: Mikhal Z, Barbara S, Rita M,and two guests from BostonIn short:Two buses with youths/students and a taxi held up for an hour at Container/ Wadi Nar. The Wall continues to be built at Abu-Dis. TheContainer -A bus carrying teenage boys from Hebron on their way to an excursion in Jericho, was standing at the checkpoint when we arrived. The driver told us they had already been waiting for about an hour – after passing two checkpoints already – Etzion and Efrat. The ID’s of all had been checked and one youth was detained. We spoke to the commander of the checkpoint, who did not want to tell us the reason for his detainment. We tried to make phone calls, but got no answer. Finally the youth was released.Not much later a bus going into the opposite direction was also held up, and the ID’s of all were checked – again three young men were detained. We spoke with them, they were students at Al Kuds University, who live in Abu-Dis and Al Ezariya during their studies, but are originally from around Jenin. They were on their way to a “Vegetable Festival” in Bethlehem. A yellow taxi going towards Abu-Dis was also detained at the same time and the ID’s of five of its passengers were in the long process of being checked. When we tried to find out why this was taking so long, the checkpoint commander threatened that he could have us arrested, if we did not move of the way and stop interfering with his work. We tried to call various numbers, but again there was no answer. After one hour, all ID’s were returned and the bus and taxi continued on their way – to the next checkpoint, and the next… Abu-Dis, PishpashEarlier that morning, when we arrived at 9.15, a large group of women and elderly men were let through, even though there was an official closure and a BP jeep standing about 50 meters from the wall. There was no checking at the ‘new’ bawabe, further down the hill, where young men were climbing over the wall. We continued then to The Container, by transit. On our return from The Container, at 11.40, we saw that there were no jeeps at all, and the passage was free, so we had some coffee at the little coffee shop. But as soon as we came out again, we saw a jeep near the blocked road, and soon another jeep arrived, and stood closer to the wall. Two mounted police were riding through the monastery yard. We heard instructions being given on the radios of both jeeps – to make sure to check well – as if something had happened or was going to happen. And soon, two BP vehicles appeared with high ranking officers – A. the BP commander of the Jerusalem envelope (Otef Yerushaliyim) and the Police commander of the Jerusalem district, Franco. They drove right through the monastery grounds, towards the wall in the back of that yard. Apparently, they were touring the construction of the wall. When they left, continuing along the wall in the direction of the Zeitim CP, the mounted police started to return their horses to the horse carrier. During the time of the visit of the high officers, the BP at the bawabe had been checking much more thoroughly and refused entry to several people who did not have the proper papers. But soon they got orders to close the gate at the back of the monastery, near the archeological excavations, where there is still a section of the wall not yet built. So they left, all of them, in the jeep, and left the bawabe open again, so that people could pass freely – until they return, or another jeep would come by. But we left at this point, as the prayers had already started and it was late. Construction of the wall behind the houses continues. Compared to last week, several low walls have now been built, bordering the access road of the army along the wall-in-construction, and on the eastern side, bordering the road that the local residents will be able to use. The wall itself is still rather low, and it is still possible to cross it.We witnessed a well-dressed older woman being helped to climb over the concrete blocks that are still functioning as a barrier, until the new wall is finished. An awful sight, the humiliation of having to climb over such an obstacle. It was already late, so we did not have the time to go to the Zeitim CP