Bethlehem–Nuaman, sunday Jan. 15, 06 AMObservers: Yehudit E., Maya B., Hanna B., Natanya G., Ronnie Y., Yael I., Tova S., Tamar A.(reporting) We set out to checkout the separation wall in the area of Nuaman in order to consider it as a destination for future regualar shifts. Background: The problems of the village of Nuaman were publicized in the Betzeleme Report: “Nuaman, East Jerusalem, LIfe under the threat of expulsion”.The village of Nuaman consists of 25 houses is located southeast of Um Toba and Har Homa and is included within the juristiction of Jerusalem however, the residents hold Palestinian Identification Card and therefore are illegally present in their own homes (similar to the situation of part of Walleje). At this piont they are allowed to be in their village but they are not allowed to go out into the rest of Jerusalem, even for the purpose of paying fines that can only be paid at an Isaeli post office. Their children were expelled from Jerusalem schools. The road to JErusalem was barred by a pile of earth. The only “legal” approach to the rest of the world for residents of Nuaman is through an opening in the separation fence– that is now almost complete in the direction of Beit Sahour. There is no school in this village, no medical clinic, not even a grocery store–in other words, for all their needs,the residents of Nuaman must pass through the opening in the separation fence. This opening is also used by many residents of the occupied territories, with or without permits to enter into Israel,in order to arrive at their place of employment in Um Toba or har Homa. A large “terminal” like the one at CP 300 is planned here–it will be called “Mizmorim”, the name of Nuaman in Israel. The BP and army (on the other side of the separation fence) are already are monitoring the area, hunting illegally present Palestinians and again and again closing the opening for various lengths of time and detaining people for lengthy degrading examinations of their papers and status. Incidents of abuse have recently been reported in the press following the finding of Mahmoud Shawara, resident of Nuaman on Dec. 11, 05, unconciouse and tied to his horse a few hours after he was detained by the B.P; after four days he died in hospital.Approach: One drives on Hebron Road until the turn left to Har Homan before the monastry of Mar Elias. ONe turns left to Har Homa and then immediately left to Um Toba. Then one turns right and continues with the road until reaching a turn right into what was once the road from Jerualem to Beit Sahaur that passed through Nuaman. Today one can continue just a few more meters with a vehicle on a bad road until coming to the first pile of earth that blocks the road and one must continue by foot. In this area BP jeeps may appear as happened in the case of Mahmoud Shawara. ON this morning we did not see a living soul. One continues on foot, intially though a garbage dump, afterwards the landscape opens north to olive orchards that may be victims of the new “passage” or new roads(the road Tekoa-Nokdim and the ring road around Jerusalem). ON one of the hills that are south of the road, on Nuaman land, another neighborhood of Har Homa is planned. After about a quarter of an hour one reaches the village with its homes scattered in an open area. This area is crossed by a road that leads to a broad road that was paved a few months ago curtesy of the State of Israel as part of the construction of the separation fence in order to enable the villagers access to the west bank. AFter another fifteen minuets one reaches the meeting point between this road and the securit road of the separation fence. There we find the opening in the separation fence through which pedestrians, including children on their way to school can reach the neighboring village of El Huas that belongs in the west bank. There too are the surprise checkpoints of the Border POlice.Surprise Checkpoint at Mizmorim: When we arrive accompanied by three residents of Nuaman who show us the way we find a Border POlice jeep standing opposite the opening. The soldiers are busy writing the particulars of two detainees from the EAPPI (Palestinians and Ecumenical Accompaniers) who are checking out the possibility of accompanying the residents, especially the pupils through the opening. The soldiers were surprised to see them and even more surprised to see us and tried to deal with this new situation. One said that they should hurry up with the registering of the particulars, another said that they will see reports about them in the papers. One of them ordered us to stand on the side or up by Nuaman or on the other side of the separation fence so that we don’t disturb them in their “work” and not endanger ourselves. Another BP jeep arrives and stands next to us as well. The IDs of Nuaman residents were taken but not ours. the soldiers claimed that there is a curfew, Hanna called the Civil Administration and was told that actually the curfew has been lifted. She reprorted the liscence numbers of the two jeeps so that the civil administration could update them about the new regulations. The soldiers were pressured by this. After everybody got their documents back we left the way we came.