Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sheikh Saed, Wed 17.2.10, Afternoon
2:00 till 5:00 PM
In Jebel Mukabr beyond the Haas Promenade the ‘numbered’ street has still not been named. However, the one below, in the extended part of Nof Zion the other street has been named after Kuberski.
Sheikh Saed
Eempty. There seemed to be less rubble and more empty houses, but more parked cars, both inside and outside the CP.
The extension of the Ma’aleh Zeitim settlement is apparently not affected by the ‘freeze’ – the crane was turning and the building is getting higher.
We entered the pishpash on the freshly asphalted (it still smelled of tar) road all the way till the tiny blue door in the fence which can now be reached by yellow stairs placed instead of the heap of sand.
There were no soldiers and the gate was closed, because the kindergarten of the Sisters of Nigrizia is closed in the afternoon.
The construction workers were still improving the infrastructure of the future CP that will conduct its activity within the concrete building, out of our sight. One turnstile is already in place and the material for the fences, to be used as a ‘sleeve
’, was ready to be installed placed on the street.
We didn’t stop at the Zeitim crossing, since we saw no crowds, but quite a few drivers waiting on the El Azzariya side.
We continued to Wadi Nar, again noting the long line of Palestinian cars waiting at the roundabout of Maaleh Adumim for the Jewish cars to pass first. There were a number of donkeys (and riders) on the Kedar Road, which may be closed to Palestinian vehicles, but apparently not to their animals. There were a few heavy construction vehicles working in Kedar.
On our way back we noticed (and photographed) the signs closing off the road via the garbage dump and pitied the drivers who had to take the long way around through Abu Dis instead of being allowed to use the short new empty settlers’ road via Kedar. Traffic seemed to be moving smoothly and no car was held up longer than a few minutes.