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ANATA, MISHOR ADUMIM ,ABU DIS, Tuesday morning, 27 January 2004, MachsomWatchers: Yehudit S., Hanna A, Michaela R (reporting) A quiet shift with nothing unusual happening,perhaps because of the stormy weather Anata , 06:20 : At the entrance to the village therewas one jeep and a number of Border Police; about 10cars were waiting to go past. The check on the carswas pretty superficial as was the examination of theidentity cards of pedestrians. Overall, the checking was brief and to the point. A number of holders of orange ID cards (Palestinian Territories) were sent off to the jeep for a more thorough inspection. Among these was a young womanwith a baby in her arms who wanted to go to Jerusalem to get the infant a visa. Refused permission to pass, she turned back, doubled around and ?movedforward into a waiting taxi. The moral:-- the checkpoint is not really very efficient at preventingthe entry into Jerusalem of those determined to getthrough. Mishor Adumim :Today the checkpoint was on the main road, but therewas no line, and only two taxis were waiting. Abu Dis : There were no security personnel at the Pishpesh [pedestrian roadside passage] and a great deal of pedestrian traffic. The piles of dirton the hill going down had been removed and carsmoved freely .In the area of the gas station, all was frighteningly silent - it was like a ghost town. There were no people in the street and all the shops were closed.Work on the Wall [separation barrier of 8m. concrete slabs] has still not resumed;the wall itself now stretches from the gas station almost all the way up to the Palestinian Authority building just below the hotel. Rumor has it thatfurther construction is held up because of a disputeas to the legal status of the hotel. They seem to be managing at the [Notre Dame des Douleurs] Hospice: Helmut and his partner transport their staff themselves and also bring intheir own supplies.In general there were no Border Police around in the usual places, just one jeep that carried out periodic patrols. Perhaps there's something to be said for thefreezing cold weather.