Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sheikh Saed, Wed 10.3.10, Afternoon

 2:00  -  5:00 PM

The numbered street in Nof Zion still has no name.

Sheikh Saed

The garbage in Sheikh Saed looked worse with the exuberantly blooming wild flowers which seemed out of place (Which? The flowers, or the garbage?).
 
There were four border policemen and four civilian guards on duty, but they didn’t seem to be doing anything. They didn’t even stop us; it was probably too hot.

Seven young men were loitering near the shuttered shops, hoping against better wisdom to find some employment. They could have cleaned up some of the mess, but they lack energy and initiative.

Pishpash

At the pishpash a huge cement mixer was blocking all view. There were no soldiers in sight. Everything was locked and except for a number of Palestinian workers putting finishing touches to the ever-more sophisticated CP. 

There was one Jewish supervisor driving a car with the sign “maintenance of the obstruction of the seam-line אחזקת מכשול התפר” another newly whitewashed and rather incomprehensible phrase. A boy was playing football and one of the workers kicked the ball back to him.

Zeitim Terminal

There were quite a few cars (without drivers) parked at the Western side of the Zeitim Terminal, when we asked some of people for the reason, since they were clearly not there to pick up people who had passed the CP we got no clear answer.

Two soldiers didn’t pay attention when we drove in (and later out of) A-Zayim where nothing seemed to have changed.

In Kedar we saw some heavy equipment near the construction site.

The Container

A fairly new but badly vandalized car with two number plates was dumped in a field near the parking lot of the Container CP.
 
The soldiers took no interest in us nor in the traffic passing along smoothly –it was too hot ~ some were talking on their cell phones and others were getting drinks or talking together while the cars passed along unhindered and no soldier made any gestures to allow them to continue. Some of the cars even ignored the ‘security’ distance to be kept between each car.

After quite a while a soldier noticed us and asked about Edna. He told us that the white car had been there for ages. They have planted a little garden near the CP to have nana in their tea. On both sides cars were stopped, but immediately released. It looked as if the CP served no purpose at all, not even for harassment. The Palestinian drivers were pleased and must have thought that the lack of any queues was our doing.