Abu Dis, Sheikh Saed, Fri 8.2.08, Morning
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Observers:
and reporting: Clair A., Lea A.
Feb-8-2008
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Morning
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Sheikh Saed, 09:30
The civila guard at the entrance to the checkpoint does not want to let us go through. He asks us to wait until the commander returns. Despite this we continue and go through the two carousels, into Sheikh Saed. There are a few inhabitants there, among them the old people who do not give up and return every Friday, hoping that they can go through and get to pray in El Aksa. The checkpoint is manned by two civil guards, one soldier in an armed shed, and additional commander who comes back from the regular checking tour. He does not want to make considerations, and let the old people go through. We have heard many times the explanation that there is no place for commander's considerations any more. He gives the usual agrivating answer "they should get permits at the DCO". The same answer is given to a mother and her daughter who have to get to the orthodentist in the clinic not far from the checkpoint.
At some point the old people start their recurring fight in order to go through. They go through the first carousel and keep going towards the exit, but the commander and the guards push them to return.
Two Jeeps arrives, and there are more soldiers and officers inside, and later on arrives another vehicle. A young woman arrives with a sick child and her mother. She wants to take the child to the medical clinic, but she is prevented from passing since she has no permit. N., the commander, is not interested. At the humanitarian center they don't unswer, and the line is busy for about a quarter of an hour. During this time one of us, after speaking with the mother, speaks with one of the other commanders that came in the Jeeps, and explains that the mother is worried because the child has blood in his stools and it is important for him to be checked. The commander speaks with N., and finally the woman and the child go through. We have not had such an achievement in Sheikh Saed for a long time... !
10:20 We notice that in under the shed in the checkpoint there are four children, aged 8 - 12, sitting, and we don't understand how we did not see them before. Did they get here with the Jeeps? In the meanwhile two more police vehicles arrive. One of the guards tells us that the children were arrested while trying to go under the fence between Sheikh Saed and Jabel Mukaber. They dug under the fence, and one of the watching squads saw them. The children have two bags with live chicken, they had bought probably in Sheikh Saed. C. takes advantage of a moment when the soldiers turned their backs and approaches the children. The soldiers pay attention to it very quickly, and demand that she steps out, but she had enough time to ask if they were beaten, and get a negative answer. Police inquest is held, but the policemen say that there is nothing to do with the children, and they can return home.
One of the commanders with two addtional soldiers take two of the children along the fence in the wadi, in order to see the place where they went through. We follow them, because we fear they might hurt them, and the unclarity about the purpose of walking with the children instead of sending them back home.
11:00 They let the children go. Two of them go back to Sheikh Saed, and the other two (the youngest tries to stop his cry) keep on to Jabel Mukaber. Three soldiers go into Sheikh Saed in order to check what happens with the children, who return ten minutes later after giving back the chicken they had baught, and got back their money.
The children were detained for about an hour. We did not see that they were hurt or physically abused, but the treatment of the "happenning" was exaggerated. It is agrivating to think about the childhood experiences they collect, and the daily reality they have to cope with, and one doubt if they remember a different reality.
11:17 we left the place.
Abu Dis 11:35
There are a few buses by the gas station, and a group of young people is walking around, touring. We keep driving towards the hotel, and from there back to the Pishpash.