Abu-Dis

Abu-Dis 15:30-16:30 Situation: The
small gate for pedestrians up the wall is still blocked. Those we
called about it (DCO commander Ran Kravitz, BP commander Safadi,
"Seam Line" commander {in charge of the wall built around
Jerusalem} Amitai Halevi were surprised to hear about the closure
of this little.opening. They all said they would try to reopen the
passage, but have not done so till now. Apparently the order
originated with Miki Levi, commander of Jerusalem police. People
were passing by climbing the one and a half meter concrete blocks
with great difficulty. The BP were checking pedestrians at random.
Transit taxis were bringing passengers on both sides of the
wall.

Wadi-Nar 16:30-18:30 Pedestrians and vehicles from both sides were
being checked at a very slow pace. Passage was denied to
Palestinians without permits valid during closure, even those who
just wanted to return to their homes in Bethlehem, Abadiah, or
Hebron. About 8 young men were detained for an ID
check.

Our intervention: The checkpoint commander RA {whom we know} was
sitting inside one of the three jeeps stationed at the checkpoint.
After a few phone calls made jointly with him, we got a positive
answer. Reluctantly, people were let pass without any problems.
About half an hour later, all detainees were released, and after we
intervened, even allowed to pass. Of course, they might encounter
the same difficulties at the next checkpoint.

Conclusion: Insisting in a friendly manner was rewarding this time,
but also frustrating, because you only get results for the time you
are on the spot without changing the overall policy.