Sheikh Saed, Sawahre, Abu-Dis, Zeitim CP, The Container Friday, 29.09.2006 AM (8:45 – 12:45), Observing and reporting : Magdalena H. Mikhal Z. Summary : First Friday of Ramadan. Everyone wants to attend prayers at Al-Aqsa. At Sheikh Saed, only people living there, aged 40 and upward are allowed to pass. For Women no limit of age. The person responsible for the Zeitim CP, is a very rude and harsh commander (“blue police”) named Y.A. We knew him and met him even before the CP was open and it was a bad experience. Dozens and dozens of people try to pass. At the upper parking lot a huge “balagan” with transits, busses, taxis – dozens of them honking their horns and trying to move ahead.Sheikh Saed – After our arrival P. and A., the commanders talked patiently with people who weren’t given permission to pass. People implored them to let them through, but “orders from the Defense Minister” were very clear and didn’t permit any flexibility. By chance we heard that some Palestinians had arrived at the Russian Compound in Jerusalem. We found out from A. that earlier that morning two people, not from Sheikh Saed, had cut the fence in the wadi and tried to “infiltrate”. They were caught and taken to the police station at the Russian Compound. Certainly they will have to spend time in prison for this. Sawahre – Two elderly women with orange IDs beg to go to Friday prayers. They were turned down and sent back. Then something curious happened: an elderly Palestinian with a walking stick who seemed to be very good friends with the BP succeeded at getting them through.Abu-Dis – People coming by transit from Wadi Nar, Al-Ezariya were sent to Zeitim CP.Zeitim CP – Here, the minimum age was 45 for men. One none of our Friday shifts had we ever seen so much traffic and such chaos here. Dozens and dozens of young people waited, many of them were sent back. We were “greeted” by a slimy military policeman who refused to answer our questions. While Magdalena went away for a moment, I (M.) stayed at a distance of a few meters from the entrance. The policeman mentioned above threatened he would call the police if I wasn’t going to move to the waiting room where I could “sit in the shade and rest”. Even though I wasn’t even talking to him, he said I was disturbing his work. I refused to move and he left. Suddenly two policemen (one of them Y A.) raising their clubs grabbed a young from behind by his collar and belt and dragged him off, probably for interrogation, but after a short moment we saw him returning on his own. Then we met Y. A.. He looked at our MW badges and shouted, “Your badges are meaningless to me, I don’t have to answer your questions, I don’t work with you” (we hadn’t even tried). The Container – very few vehicules(From The East side of the Pishpash we took a transit to Zaitim, another to the container, and back to the Bawabe)