Abu Dis, Sheikh Saed, Sun 14.10.07, Afternoon

Share:
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email
Observers: 
Chana G., Julia W., Rahel W. (reporting)
Oct-14-2007
|
Afternoon

Arrived at Sheikh Saed at about 14:15. It was very quiet. There were two border police and a female DCL person. The two border police were good cop, bad cop. One was pleasant and accommodating and the other crude and nasty. There was a very unpleasant instance when a young woman (with a blue ID), her three young children, her husband (with a green ID) and her mother-in law - (green ID) wanted to visit the young woman's mother who had just had surgery and who lived in Jebel Mukaber about a 5 minute walk from the checkpoint. The woman and her children were allowed through. Her husband and mother-in-law were not. They pleaded to be allowed just two hours to visit family, but the border policeman shouted at them about the need to observe the rules. The woman could not control her distress.

Given what is going on throughout the occupied territories, this instance was perhaps just a minor inconvenience but it is indicative of the meaningless, cruel, hurtful quality of life those under occupation are regularly subjected to.

A young man near the shops told us that contractors are very active trying to get the age for permits for Palestinians lowered to 30 because they are fed up with foreign workers and want the Palestinians back. We don't know if that is so or if it is merely wishful thinking.

We continued on to Abu-Dis. It appears that there is more building around the Moskowitz settlement. The wall near the building appears to have been lengthened. Also, the dirt road leading to and beyond the settlement has been paved.

At the former pishpash, we saw four people coming through. We asked them how they were able to get in and out. They were visiting the Lazarus orphanage in Al Ezariya and were able to go in and out with their foreign passports. They seemed very tense and were hesitant about speaking with us.