Abu Dis & SawahreFri. 21 January 2005, PMObservers: Ora A., Ofra B.A., Dvora G. & Drora P. (reporting) Shift – from 14:30 – 17:00The Hotel - The kiosk at the petrol station was closed – today was a holiday. Because of the strong rain and the warnings locals gave us about driving conditions on the road up to the hotel, two of us stayed with the car at the petrol station, while Ora and I went up to the hotel. What we saw has already been reported in previous shifts. I found it an awful sight - the horrors of the Occupation strengthening their “suffocating embrace” of the citizens. And in less poetic language - the wall behind the hotel is now completely closed. A fence has been erected at the front of the hotel, apparently as preparation for a wall that will be built in its place. A wide gate has been built at the end of the fence in front of the hotel. It’s unclear how the residents who live nearby will go through it. The hotel’s large windows have been broken and replaced by wood panels, with barbed wire in the lower ones. We didn’t see any soldiers.The Pishpash gate – Little movement and very few vehicles. Crossing through the monastery was unimpeded and there was no Border Police presence. The road to the left of the pishpash, going downhill, has been blocked by an earth mound; someone told us that the mound has been there for a month, and local residents can now only drive in the opposite direction.The Container – Despite the holiday, there was some traffic. The lines were long but moved well. The checks were random. In a taxi coming from the Hebron direction, there were three brothers on their way to Jericho to meet relatives. Two of the brothers were checked by the General Security Services (GSS - Shabak). It took a long time. The commander said there was nothing to be done, “They are detained by the GSS and must wait for answers”. I phoned the Border Police commander and his deputy, but there was no answer from both. Next I phoned the company commander who said they staff the checkpoints with reservists to ensure that the treatment of detainees would be considerate. And what of the bureaucratic delays? He promised to speed matters up. One brother was released right away, but the other was still waiting for an answer. I gave him a humanitarian centre card, and hoped for the best. On the way back I thought that we should have taken his phone number, for future processing if necessary. A pedestrian was also detained for a long time: soldiers found that he lied and then sent his name to be checked. I can’t say if our questions or phone calls helped, but the fellow was released and went home to celebrate.