Morning

Tour of the Abu-Dis - Qalandyia route 3.1; around 9:30-10:30AM > MWatchers: Vivi Z, Michal M, Nurit L, Victoria B. > > Summary - systematic harrassment of Palestinians, at a morning checkpoint >before cars from Qalandyia turn right to the Dead See Road, every >day 6:30-10:00 except Friday (no studies in the >Al Quds University) and Saturday (army and police rest after their weekly >labors). Very bad mornings reported also at the now permanent CP at >the Anata entrance. > > Following Nora's excellent instructions we went to scout the land. >We went down the road to the Dead Sea. After passing the turn right to >Abu Dis / Maale Adumim one starts seeing Palestinian transits >and vehicles; their movement was free (Saturday), no army or police >in evidence. The turn to Ramalla (signed) is left, a short distance >after the gas station to the right. We turned left, then >stopped at the junction where a downhill road from Anata joins the Kalandia-Abu-Dis route.> We talked to several people who were changing transits. They said that >every morning 6:30-10:00 there is a checkpoint just before a turn to >Dead Sea Road. The border police (army?) may not even make a pretence >of security checkups - just stop vehicles for 1-1.5 hours at their >whim. Another student told how he was removed from the >transit for ID investigation with a few men, one man said he forgot his ID >at home in Hebron and was beaten. Apparently, another location of similar >harrassment is at entrance/exit from Abu Dis, towards Maale Adumim. > > Blue police also participates in the harrassment party - hunting for >traffic violations which can be fined, commonly at that same Anata junction >to the Kalandia-Abu-Dis road, at which we talked to people. > People were telling is about brazen racism, >including offensive talking, in relation to Palestinian drivers. A >smallest violation - and you get a 250NIS fine, said one man. > > >people attempting to get to work in Jerusalem, >at the Anata entrance/exit checkpoint (driving >from Giva Tsarfatit to Maale Adumim, 1-st left, 1-st right). >Lots of detained. > We heard similar stories before from one of Abu Musa drivers. >This CP is now permanent, so we were told. We in fact >saw it on our way back, through Anata.