Abu Dis, Sawahre Wednesday PM, 16.2.05.Observers: Ronit S., Daniela G. (reporting) five guests from Austria.Abu Dis (the former “Gate”) – 15:30: A BP jeep was first parked in the middle of the road leading up to the PishPash and then in front of it. People were climbing to and fro through various narrow openings in the stone fences, including in full view of the soldiers. Some walked at leisure through the monastery gate, which was open. When questioned as to the purpose of their being there, since they were stopping no one, the BP soldier gave the regular “for security reasons” answer. In a very friendly manner he continued to volunteer that “they were only human and were just on the look out for suspicious characters – young men with strange looking parcels or the like”. A few taxi drivers were sitting nearby waiting for passengers, and it seemed that neither they nor the BP were bothered by each other’s presence. When we came back from Sawahre, the BP jeep and soldiers were no longer there.Sawahre – 16:00: A long queue of about 30 vehicles bound for Bethlehem, but within a relatively short time it was reduced to 4-5 cars. In the opposite direction, the line of cars was much shorter. Every now and then a taxi/transit from that line was pulled over and the IDs of the passengers were taken for checking. They were all released within 15 minutes at the most. Pedestrians walked by not even through the turnstiles and without being checked at all. By the time we left, the line for Bethlehem had reached its original size again.