Abu Dis, ContainerMonday, 2.1.06, A.MObservers: Maya B., Anat T. (reporting)7:00 Abu DisOn our way to the pishpash we are invited by Mr. Yaacoob Daher, head of the laboratory in Augusta Victoria Hospital, to see the wall “planted” in the garden of the house where he was born. He is no longer going to be considered living in Jerusalem. The very gentle Mr. Daher says the court has confirmed the works, and the wall will grow and separate his two daughters from their playmates from birth, and will require a 35 min. drive to get to the 3 km-afar school. He tells us the sad chain of events since a few years ago the temporary blocks on the road were erected suddenly one morning, and a neighbour watching the works died that same day from a heart attack because the ambulance could not get to him. That’s when the cul-de-sac residents were allowed to establish an iron gate in the temporary wall, to which they all hold keys. In the pishpash, two BP soldiers stand and check mostly the men. One of them fills in the detainees forms of a group of men standing on the other side of the pishpash. One by one they are released. The palestinians say they have been held since 4:30, but the BP soldier says they have been here an hour and a half, and we tend to beleive him, he seems very serious at his job. We do see women with heavy baskets passing with their loads with no special scrutiny. A jeep with very friendly Officer Avi H. arrives, and he shows us the daily decree listing the categories of people who are allowed to pass – all humanitarian cases and other special permit holders but not work permit holders. We try to ask why they are cut off from their jobs in Jerusalem, and the answer is that this is the situation since the killing of the soldier in Qalandiya. He also tells us a very interesting story of how the Supreme Court has removed lately the injunction order against the building of the fence in Abu Dis area. One of the army commanders has been offered bribe money for his not obstructing the understanding which was being achieved about the inclusion of a few houses on the Jerusalem side of the wall, and that caused the court to cancel their injunction request. It sounds very sad. We decide to go to the Container without visiting the hotel or looking for the palestinian DCO in Abu Dis, which we have been told about. It seems to be located by Abu Allah offices, and we invite other groups to try to find it, since this is the closest permit office around. It exchanges documents daily with the Israeli DCO (Elishah) in Ma’ale Adumim.8:30 The Container The scenery of the green fuzz-coated hills is magnificent, the situation in the checkpoint less so. We understand there is a “warm” security warning, so all cabs are stopped and the young men’s papers are checked. The line is about 10-15 cars long from east to west. Some of the waiting professional people refer to it sarcastically as their very frequent “cigarette stops” on the long journey from Bethlehem to Ramallah, an endeavour for which they reserve a full day! During our stay, we witness one man being led away behind the CP for questioning, but the soldiers do not answer our questions about it. All other documents are given back in 10 min. or so. 9:30 – We crawl-drive in a very long “pkak” from Ma’ale Adumim to the vehicle checkpoint before the tunnel (It takes around half an hour), and witness very angry Israeli citizens being told about the security demands.