Abu-Dis

At the gate we are told about one
officer who ordered the gate closed because someone had lit a fire
to burn some refuse, where the cars park, a distance away from the
gate - just on a whim, punishing everyone. He left just as we
arrived. 3 or 4 BP remain at the gate, of whom one is especially
unpleasant, barking orders. Only people with blue IDs and permits
are let through, or men over 50 and women over 40. Many people are
denied entry, hanging around at the gate, hoping for an easing of
the situation - some knowing that eventually this happens, while
others - a frightened young woman from Bethlehem- more easily
discouraged. The young commander in charge of the gate is holding a
shock bomb in his hands, playing with it like a toy.

Sawahre: No closure, and so movement is no longer restricted to
within each sub-area of the West Bank. This is true for taxis, but
private cars are not allowed through if they do not have the proper
permits to move from area to the other. The passengers are told
they can pass on foot or in a taxi. In the taxis, only the identity
cards of younger men are checked - "those that look
suspicious" in the words of the border policemen - "to
see if they are not "wanted" ". All traffic seems to
be in vehicles - there no longer are long lines of people waiting
on foot. And no long lines of trucks with merchandise and food
supplies - they apparently had already passed through earlier in
the morning. Back in Abu Dis, the pressure continues. Taxi drivers
are yelling out 'Azaim", looking for customers to take the
'official' roundabout way to Jerusalem, through the checkpoint at
A-zaim - on the Maale Adumim road. This is what the Israeli
authorities want them to do, but the question is, can those without
permits and without a blue ID be sure they will be let through
there???? (the round trip would cost 2 NIS to the checkpoint and
another 3 to Jerusalem, in addition to the money already spent to
get to the Abu Dis gate - this is a lot of money for people without
a reliable source of income). We talk to the soldier in charge
about the arbitrariness - one minute everyone can go through, and
the next, depending on the mood of the soldiers, there are suddenly
many restrictions. That this is only a nuisance and a humiliation,
and has nothing to do with security. He agrees and instructs the
soldiers accordingly. As we leave the gate, one of the Palestinians
remarks about the fact that people are suddenly walking through
freely: "Now the soldiers are busy drinking their cola, and
don't look, when they finish, they will look again....".