Isawiya is an Arab neighborhood in East Jerusalem, located on the eastern slopes of Mount Scopus in northern Jerusalem, on the edge of the Judean Desert. It is limited by the Slopes of Mount Scopus National Park, which was declared in 2012 to prevent the expansion of the neighborhoods of A-Tur and Isawiya. It has about 16,000 residents, but the neighborhood does not have a service and commercial center — a fact that causes the residents to consume services in the commercial center of the adjacent Jewish neighborhood French Hill  .Most of the residents of the neighborhood work in Jerusalem. 

The municipal plan for the neighborhood has been held up for years. This causes housing shortage and culminates in extensive demolitions of unpermitable home extentions and  any new building. Unrest and violence follow, and police enters houses at night and throws gas graneds near schools.,.

A-Za'im CP is located on Road 1 near the village of a-Za'im, in the section of the road between Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem in the area called E1.
It is adjacent to the separation wall. Only Israeli and Palestinian citizens living in East Jerusalem are allowed to pass through. Vehicles of West Bank residents with entry permits to Israel and public transportation in East Jerusalem are not allowed to pass through this checkpoint. They are obliged to pass only through the Qalandiya checkpoint in north Jerusalem.
Until the construction of the checkpoint, the villagers could enter Jerusalem almost indefinitely. Now, they are denied access and directed to the West Bank via the apartheid road parallel to Road 1 and Road 437 to the Anatot / Anata junction.
In addition, an iron gate was erected in the separation wall, which sometimes allows (we did not have the opportunity to see it open) pedestrians to enter Jerusalem through a-Tour. North to the checkpoint, the Olive Interchange was established, directing traffic from Highway 1 to Jerusalem and Ramallah (for blue ID  holders only). The checkpoint is located near the village of a-Za'im, it is managed by border police and private security companies. It is active 24 hours a day.
People crossing the A Za'im checkpoint are checked randomly. The checkpoint suffers from traffic jams in the morning (from Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem) and in the afternoon (in the opposite direction).

Al-'Eizariya

At exit from Al-'Eizariya, before square leading to Maale Adumim. Mobile checkpoint (jeep and Border Police) operating till 09:00 am, facilitating traffic exiting Maale Adumin on three kilometer strip of road, also permissible for Palestinian vehicles. A similar checkpoint in the opposite direction, on road between Mishor Adumim and Adumim Junction. This checkpoint facilitates settler traffic on the Jerusalem-Jericho-Rift Valley road.