Morning

Bethlehem still under total closure, so we continued to Abu-Dis.On the side of the wall approaching Jerusalem interesting grafitis are painted on the wall. While exchanging words with the guard of the school - suddenly all the children started coming back - they said the soldiers announced a curfew and that they were not allowed to pass to school so were heading back home. We went to check things out and one of the border policemen explained: school children are allowed to cross to Jerusalem, but not within the territories, from village to village (not allowed to go to school in Sawahra, for example) - and especially, he said - they are not allowing women to go to the College in Abu-Dis, even if they are from Abu-Dis (??!!!). And all this because of specific warnings. The soldier admitted that there are always warnings but what could he do. He said that usually these kinds of closures happen at 4:00 am. After we failed to figure out the logic of this new closure, we tried to call the commander of the Ramallah DCO. No answer. Left a message. No reply.Coming back, we asked the soldiers on the other side of the fence (30 meters away from the above mentioned checkpoint) - maybe they know something about the logic and reason of this new order. They laughed at us and said that we must be kidding: if there was a closure then no-one would leave their house... Then they were very surprised to hear of the above order - and immediately said they know only what they themselves are doing. Apparently, one hand doesn't know of the other...and who suffers from this? - As the head master of a school in Sawahra told us, as he was heading back home to Abu-Dis with 3 teachers after not being allowed to cross: "the purpose of the orders are that they have no purpose, no reason. This is how real control happens: Palestinians leave their house in the morning not knowing if they will reach any destination, living in total unknown, total confusion. This is how oppression is formed."