Abu Dis & SawahreWed. 8 December 2004 PMObservers: Yael R., Ayelet P. & Tirza P. (reporting)Guests: Johanna, from the Ecumenical Church14:40 – 17:4014:40 – The new pishpash gate – People no longer cross via the monastery, only through the gate opened in the fence, on the left side. Once again, they must clamber up improvised steps, built from remnants of the fence; being young, fit and unencumbered by a babe in arms is very helpful.We didn’t see any soldiers, but the drivers told us that they are here throughout the day. Two different people said they’d been told by an officer that in two weeks time all the openings would be sealed up and passage would be possible only through Az-Za'ayyem. Do something, they asked us, it’s your job. Apparently they thought we are paid, with money from America, to visit the checkpoints. On the way to the hotel, we saw three Border Police soldiers leaning against a car. They could not be seen from the pishpash and didn’t seem to be doing much. A few yards below, at a point they couldn’t see, a man and wife were squeezing through and then jumping over a gap in the fence.14:55 – It’s now impossible to get to the hotel by car. The whole road, up to the grocery, has been dug up, and the smell makes it obvious why. Someone said sewage pipes are being laid.15:10 Az-Za'ayyem – A long line at the checkpoint.The Container – 15:30 – The Container was congested, with long lines in all directions, seven detainees in the hut. The turnstile was working. A soldier pressed the buzzer, and one person went through. Three detainees were released, followed five minutes later by all the rest. The lines were long but moved steadily. No cars were impounded. While we were there, the insides of one truck only were examined. Instead of dismantling it, a soldier climbed inside and took a look. No buses were halted and privately-owned cars were allowed through – though not all of them – two were sent back to Bethlehem. The soldiers noticed our presence but remained indifferent. We didn’t move closer and they didn’t move us away. A few minutes after all the detainees in the hut were freed, two others were sent there. Pedestrians. Then another two people joined them, taken from taxis on the way to Bethlehem. They were released a quarter of an hour later. At no point was the detainees’ hut completely empty.16:20 – A Jeep drove up, two soldiers got out, and stalled the southbound checkpoint. The soldier continued letting vehicles through in the other direction. When the jeep drove off, the soldier, relatively quickly, got rid of the line that had formed. When it grew dark, and the rain intensified, for a moment we thought it was so cold that he didn’t feel like taking his hands out of his cold-weather coverall to check papers, but simply motioned with his head for cars to cross through. Meanwhile, the line waiting to go through the turnstile was growing. A soldier, apparently the commander, allowed women to leave the line and cross without being checked.On the way back, a Border Police jeep was parked at the junction of the road that’s forbidden-for-Palestinians with the road that’s permitted-for-Palestinians. The jeep’s passengers may have been waiting for people taking the forbidden road.17:25 - Before leaving, we asked a soldier why people were being detained. “For checking” he explained politely and patiently, “we transmitted their details over the wireless system to the terminal, and we’re waiting to hear if they can be released or not”. Another soldier, who introduced himself as the operations officers, asked how we were doing. “Would you like to hear my opinion?”, he inquired. We would have liked to, but he just pulled a face and left.17:35 – No waiting lines at Az-Za'ayyem.