Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Sheikh Saed, Wed 23.6.10, Afternoon
2:30 till 5:30 PM
An extremely windy day just after a heat wave – all the accumulated garbage next to the bins in Jebel Mukabr is blowing all over the place.
Sheikh Saed
Empty. We continued amidst flying rubbish towards Silwan to ‘inspect’ the Kings’ Gardens and the spic and span parts inhabited by settlers. There is a lot of digging going on. We saw no Border Police presence across from the City of David, after again having called Mahmoud Kara’in in vain.
We crossed over to the Mount of Olives where the tourist track along the churches is kept spick and span – on the second terrace under the Intercontinental Hotel we had a good view of the extension of the Moskovitz settlement (Ma’aleh Zeitim) and the emptied Police Headquarters.The huge Israeli flag on top of the mountain was close by and very provocative.
Across from the Mokassed Hospital we again noted the garbage flying in the wind.
We let a number of cars through coming from El Azzariya at the Maaleh Adumim roundabout, but then were hooted along by impatient settlers from Kedar.
In Kedar construction is going on apace as if there were no freeze.
At the Wadi Nar CP was hardly any traffic and no car was held up. Two soldiers with drawn rifles came up to us to ask what we were doing, but as soon as we said “MachsomWatch” they said: “Be our guests” and turned away.
On the way back the queue at the Maaleh Adumim roundabout was endless – we again let the incredulous drivers pass in front of us and noted the new signs on the other side of the road (in English and Arabic only) one to announce that the road narrows and the other with a warning “Prepare to stop”.
In Sheikh Jarrah under the fig tree were no Internationals, just a woman with some children and an elderly man (her father?). There was no police presence. We were told of the upcoming Poetry evening right in front of the house and the hope was expressed that the police would not spoil the event.