Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Sawahira ash Sharkiya, Sheikh Saed
From 6:00 till 9:00 AM
We drove via Jebel Mukabr which was just waking up, most of the garbage containers were overflowing. The ride on the narrow roads with traffic in both directions is not easy. An interesting novelty is the fact that the streets have now names and these names and the number also appear on each house.
As we neared Sheikh Saed we saw the wall which surrounds the neighborhood. Although one no longer can see the garbage which used to ‘decorate’ the slope, the sight of the wall is certainly no improvement. A huge dark looming wall – and it is difficult to find a parking spot near the CP. We found a little dumping area a little further and parked the car. The construction of the entrance and exit CP is almost completed, only the turnstiles are not in operation yet.
Schoolchildren come and go, women with blue ID’s go out to wherever they have to go. A woman was holding a five-year old child who was crying and doing his utmost not to get to the van which was taking him to kinder garden The mother insisted and the cries of the child could still be heard after he was put in the leaving car.
The passage looked quiet, but one can no longer see the neighborhood which is a real prison now, at least in the direction of Israel.
We continued via the Road of the Americas which was as dirty as usual, although here too there are brand new street signs and numbers on the houses. We turned into the sharp curve towards the Sawahira CP which is also very quiet.
We met three school girls who told us that although there is no school on Sunday, they were on their way to a special course to prepare them for their matriculation exams. We continued to Ras El Amud and it looks as if the former Police compound which has been changed to house settlers is still unoccupied.
When we arrived at the Abu Dis wall we turned right towards the Cliff Hotel which each time is a little more ruined. There are no longer any soldiers here and the gate was not manned either. We went in without hindrance; on the right is an Arab building which has been turned to housing for Jews. A (pretty sad) Israeli flag was placed on the roof and in the yard a spot for a guard. We drove along the ‘security road’ for a couple of minutes and returned.
Not much happened at the Olive Terminal, private cars are parked along the road leading up the CP. It looked as if the morning crowds had already left.
This time we did not stop at Anata.