Afternoon

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Nov-11-2002
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It was very crowded when we arrived just after 3:00 PM. There are some moreplastic barriers within the gas station in order to make the U-turn even more difficult. The sloping ascent to the passage seemed a little easier, the refrigerator, used as a stepping stone down is still holding out .The soldiers, according to a Palestinian, are using one of the inside walls of the mosque as aurinal. On the way down a man drew the behavior of the soldiers on the other side toour attention. All the vans and cabs had disappeared and a jeep with some border policemen and about fifteen Palestinians who had been caught by-passing the checkpoint were sitting on the sidewalk. A vendor who had been selling the traditional Ramadan-pancakes was closing his stand and we were told that there is now a curfew. The soldiers did not really know why. We were told the detaineesinfo-icon would be released as soon as their papers were checked and indeed they were. Except for one, who was suspected of having forged papers. He was taken to the Jerusalemside of the wall where the blue police would take him to be questioned. We were not allowed to give him the number of the Moked, but his guard promised to give him the card as soon as he would be handed over to the blue police. He either will or he won't.The jeep and the soldiers left and a minute later all the vans and cabs re-appeared as did hordes of people who apparently had waited for them to leave before coming out of the mosque compound. As we were returning to the car, we saw a girl soldier rudely demanding from all Palestinian workers to show their papers. While she and her colleagues were inspecting them, turning their back towards the road, many others passed freely. Until then only those coming into Jerusalem had had to show their ID’s. She explained that if she asked them nicely, they would ignore herrequest.