Morning

4Abu Dis, Kfar Adumim, Sawahre, and Ministry of the Civil Affairs of the National Palestinian Authority in Abu Dis. Sunday AM, 4 Jan 2004. MachsomWatch Observers: Dalia R. and Ilana D. Abu Dis checkpoint:Two Border Police were holding six detainees at the gas station. The men claimed to have been there since 5:00 AM. Tamar told us on her way up, that one of the soldiers had been shooting 'for fun' at around 6:00 AM. Some people were climbing the wall near the mosque and the university and crossing into the garden of Notre Dame des Douleurs. We went to inspect the looming progress of the Wall [Separation Fence] behind the hotel. When we returned to the checkpoint, the number of detainees had increased to 14. The BP told us that their commander had instructed them not to talk to us. They didn't want to identify themselves and wore no badges with their names. One was stationed on the roof and shouted at whoever wanted to cross (even with a blue – Israeli - ID) to get down and go back. We called Rafi Amsalem who promised to inform Yehuda Masri and urge him to speed matters up. A jeep arrived, but it was not Yehuda. He will not be back until Tuesday, we were told by Tomer, the officer. The detainees will all be taken for questioning by the GSS [ShaBa”K, Security Service] and the three hours have not passed yet, so no reason to 'complain'. He said that the passage is closed and “If we spot anyone trying to cross, we send him back.” (Actually a young man with a blue ID who had jumped the wall had to surrender his document and it was only returned to him through a slit in the wall after he had climbed back over.) Tomer volunteered that people can cross freely at the pishpash [side route for unofficial pedestrian passage]. When asked why this site is open at one spot and closed at another, he said that he didn't make the decisions. We gave the detainees a ”Moked” card [contact info for the Center for the Defense of the Individual], then we proceeded towards the pishpash. Busy movement both ways, lots of transits and buses and noBP presence whatsoever. A huge heap of rubble on the street towards the left(West) prevents cars from passing that way. We drove through the tunnel to Kfar Adumim and turned near Mishor Adumim (careful: Blue [Israeli] Police alert!) to stop and inspect the checkpoint on the road. The queue took between twenty minutes and half an hour. Mostly yellow cabs and taxi-vans from Ramallah with students on their way to Abu Dis.The soldiers told us the CP only operates between 6:00 and 9:00 AM. Only the IDs of the drivers and the permits of the cars were checked, and it appeared fast and efficient (at least for as long as we were there) and no one was held up. We drove via Qedar to Wadi Naar and stopped to inspect Qedar-South on the way. A soldier from the paratroops was assigned to staff the closed gate. He is doing a two weeks' stint after having been in Nokdim. He lives in Kiryat Ono and saw no reason why he should assist eventually in evacuating this place where only two “caravans” [prefab dwellings] are inhabited. Sawahre (“The Container”) checkpoint:An older BP (volunteer?) greeted us warmly. Traffic was moving pretty smoothly. A driver from Tulkarm who had crossed yesterday to Bethlehem was not allowed back with his truck, since he had only a permit for himself, but not for the vehicle. A group of telephone technicians were not allowed to proceed with their car and were waiting for the company to send another vehicle to meet them from the other side and allow them to continue on their way.The taxi-van drivers were bitter that there is not enough work for them. We went to check out the situation of the permits and didn't find S.B. in his office. (His office – the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the NationalPalestinian Authority -- has moved two days ago into fancier quarters, next tothe Prime Minister’s… ) From the entrance to his office one has a good view of the Wall behind the hotel next to the Parliament. S.B.’s Hebrew is excellent; he has a “B.K.” ["Boger Ketziot", 'graduate' of the IDF-run Ketziot detention center] We were offered tea and S.B. complained bitterly about the non-functioning of the Abu Dis DCO [civilian administration office for the Territories] which has been closed for the last couple of months. S.B. tried to convince Rafi Amsalem that he needed to see him urgently and got an appointment within 30 minutes, but just for one-day hospital permits. All other matters have not been dealt with since the attack in Tulkarm. B.J., the father of ten children, asked us to help him obtain a magnetic card [validation of security clearance]. His had lapsed two years ago and he can find no work.