Abu Dis, Container Wednesday PM, 29.12.04Observers: Noa R., Yael R., Ayelet F., Tirtza F. (reporting)14:45-17:3014:45We decided to reach this time the "new Az-Za'ayyem"- where all the taxis were moved from the Bawabe inside Abu-Dis, near the wall. During the previous shift BP soldiers explained to us that it's easy to get there.After a relatively short search we found 2 roads going to the new van station: one, steep and rocky, is on the mountain, along the twisted wires the army has spread ("3 months ago, to prevent workers from passing" explained a passing man), and the other is steep, twisted and very muddy. The first road was deserted. Only one van was climbing it. On the other road there were 4 pedestrians, one with a walking cane, walking in the mud. 2 vans that passed us while we attempted to climb up the road looked at us with pity. We had to give up middle way- it was too dangerous.The road is almost empty - no sign of the busy traffic of the Bawabe.15:55 Container8-10 cars on each direction. No detainees in the shed. 2 dog handlers await suspicious objects.16:00A bus stops on its way south. 2 soldiers mount, one passes among the passengers, the other waits by the driver. 5 men are taken off and sent to the shed and the bus goes on.16:102 pedestrians going south, wearing suits, are stopped for check up. One of them, an Italian doctor, presents his passport. A few minutes later they are released, shake hands with the soldiers and get on a taxi.The checkpoint commander Y. says everything is as usual. What about the easings on election day? "No easings at the moment. They are supposed to be applied later on". How about the 5 detainees? "They are being checked and will be released".meantime the pedestrians pass freely in the carousel. The soldier looks at them but doesn't stop anyone. One man, who passes on the road instead of in the carousel, is called, his ID is taken and he's sent to wait in the shed.16:22All detainees are released.16:28A taxi coming from the south is sent to the dog inspection. A driver and 2 passengers are taken off. The passengers are angry, hurry to catch another, luckier taxi. The driver remains to wait. One dog handler is checking the car with the dog, another is inspecting with a small instrument under the vehicle. They leave the car with all the doors open. The driver is afraid from the dog, he waits for them to get away, shuts the doors and goes away.Immediately a new car is called to be inspected. It is a van with only the driver, who doesn't understand Hebrew and doesn't understand what he needs to do. A soldiers explains to him in Arabic that he should open the doors. He obeys.16:50The driver is called to shut the doors after the dog finishes. The soldier asks us to move 50 meters back. We do. Then the soldier announces that the van can't pass, just go back to Bethlehem. Why? "The vehicle is suspicious". of what? it is not clear.The dog handlers are embarrassed. One is whispering to us "Go away, you do only harm. We will fix it". The van driver moves his car from the inspection station, and is sent to the detainees shed.16:55Another van is sent to inspection, and is released within 10 minutes.17:05Change of shift. A jeep with fresh soldiers (One insists on saying hello to us again and again until we reply), and a dog handler vehicle. A new dog is taken out, but only to meet the dog handlers that were there already. The lane going south is completely blocked. The dog handlers go away. The detainee is still waiting in the darkening shed.17:15A new shift. The detainee is released, and may go home to Jericho. The checkpoint is opened. We find that Avi Biton's Company is back. The soldier asks why we replied grimly to his greeting but waved gayly to the departing detainee. A frustrating conversation is developed, almost every soldier is listening. Again we hear that we don't know everything, a soldier tells about having captured 2,000 terrorists, they explain to us that our standing here will not bring peace, and only if someone dear to us, heaven forbid, should die in a terrorist attack, we will understand. Yes, then we will finally understand.The conservation went nowhere. At least while it went on no car or pedestrian was detained.