Abu Dis - Election daySun. 9.1.05 pmWatchers: Tzipie E and Ronny PBefore going to Abu Dis we went to SallahaDin street to feeel the atmosphere and talk to people.Feelings were mixed as we know and to feel some spirit of election mood you really had to stand right next to the Post office.Things were different at the Container.There were a lot of cars and a sense that people are going to or from voting. We spoke to 2 men whom we know and they took us to the girls school in Sawahre where the local polling station was situated. We saw people milling around and the polling station was "womened" only by women.Everybody was ready to discuss the pros and cons of voting for Abu Mazen .We were among the first custumers of Yussuf who moved his cafe here 5 days ago from Damascus Gate where the business is poor. We were offered coffee and promised to advertise his new cafe.Both of us felt that it was the first time on our MachsomWatch shift when we were not feeeling tired,depressed/desperate/frustrated- a day of hope.At the checkpoint we met the DCO representative and miraculously a whole detained bus and the individual detainees were let go very soon after we arrived and enquired.We spoke at length to the mukhtar of the village- Haras near Hebron who was taking young workers from his village to Al Ezariya for work. He spoke of hope and it was heartwarming to see the whole group of workers who do not meet Israelis so often offering us cake and sunflowerseeds .For the rest of the time we saw a tremendous amount of taxis going through in both directions quite smoothly. Whenever we saw that the line was not moving we approached our "mamtak"(as he called himself) ally and he made things happenAll in all a day we will remember