Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Sheikh Saed, יום ד' 24.9.08, בוקר
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Observers:
Anat T., Shira V. (reporting)
Sep-24-2008
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Morning
07:00 Sheikh Saed
When we arrived the traffic of people was thin. About ten minutes later a long line started to accumulate
and at the peak overfew the rails. The checkup, that included children too, not only grownups, was slow. We tried to offer an efficient way to deal with it to the BP men, 5 or 6 of them who stood together near the shed. We offer to do what happenned two weeks ago, and to open a special line for the children, and one soldier will take care of that. The policemen did not take the offer. Parallelly, a girl, a pupil aged 14, was sent back because she did not have a permit, despite the fact that she did have a Kushan (birth certificate). The girl was in tears, and told us that this is the first time this thing happens.
We started calling the humanitarian center and the BP center for controlling the area surrounding Jerusalem, in order to get them take care of the line, and let the girl go through. We also informed the BP commander of the area about both subjects. A short while later they released the line by letting all the pupils go through freely without being checked, and made the passage of grownup more efficient. The waiting time at the worst time was about half an hour. The girl was called and was allowed to go through with all the other pupils without being checked.
When the line was over, Anat spoke with the BP center and with the humanitarian center in order to thank them for the efficint reaction, and also in order to ease the problem of the crowded checkpoint in the morning on the long run. They promised to give directions to open a special line for pupils at the rush hour in the morning (06:50-07:50). They also said that according to the regulations, if a pupil under 16 years of age it is enough to show the Kushan in order to go to school.
08:20 Zeitim passage
The checkpoint is quite empty. We met there a volunteer from the Ecumenical watch. They also told us that the checkpoint is quite empty. They took Anat's e-mail in order to send us their reports about Kalandia and Zeitim passage, since we get only the reports about Beit Lehem.
08:50 Wadi Naar
The trafic is average, with randomal detains of vans, and release within a few minutes
The checkpoint we met T., the representative of the DCO in Abu Dis area. We initiated the meeting. The last part of our report is the summing up of our meeting with her.
The summary of our meeting with T., the commander of the DCO representatives in Abu Dis Area.
The case on 21.8.2008, when they let a woman with a dead baby
in her womb (and had all the needed medical permits) to go through Zeitim passage only after Machsom watch intervened:
in her womb (and had all the needed medical permits) to go through Zeitim passage only after Machsom watch intervened:
T. claimed that they had called her immediately from the medical representative and she approved the passage. The agreement was that she will check up the date of the incident she is talking about, and what else she can say about it. She has to send us her military e-mail adress, and we will send her the report of Michaela R. about the case.
Ramadan:
a. When asked about chidlren above 10 years old (Ayala's report from last Friday) who were not allowed to
go through Zeitim checkpoint: she said that she had not heard about it, will check and will give us an answer.
go through Zeitim checkpoint: she said that she had not heard about it, will check and will give us an answer.
b. When asked about the widows who are not allowed to go through: The regulations are that women at the age of 30 - 45 are allowed to go through only if they are married. Therefor widows and single women are not going through. The regulations will not be changed.
c. Workin permits are not enough for Friday prayers on the temple mount during Ramadan. The Palestinians are supposed to file in request for prayers through their DCO. According to T. there are about 1000 request a week in her area during this period.
Id el Fiter
We agreed that she will e-mail us the regulations about permits when they are published. She assumes it will be in the next days. She also said that they are spread through the newspapers in Arabic, through the DCO, and community leaders.
General information about the activity of the Abu Dis DCO:
The information written on the sign on the eastern side (Ezariye) of the checkpoint, that states times and days of activity, is not up-to-date, and she will take care to remove it shortly. The DCO serves people every day - including Thursday untill 16:00 - the inhabitants of Abu Dis, Ezariye, Sheikh Saed and Sawahara, about permits, magnetic and biometric cards, and personal peroblems. There is no division according to neighborhood, and people aren ot sent to the DCO in Jericho. She stressed that everyone who has a humanitarian problem, from all around the west bank, and arrives at the checkpoint, is entitled to get help from the DCO. She also added that all the people living on the west bank and who have the right permits are allowed to go through the checkpoint.
Biometric:
People who live in the area get their Biometric done and signed there. People who go through the checkpoint and had done it in another place, and have to renew and refresh it, have to go to the place where they had done it, because "those are the regulations". Whoever wants a valid permit for long term (it means over a week) has to get a biometric permit. That means, actually, all the people working in Israel.
The problem of the wild dogs in the area, especially Wadi Naar, as Yehudit S. has reported
T. will find out the right phone number of the officer who takes care of the problem (the problem is well known all around the west bank), in order for us to make contact with him if needed.