'Anata, Abu Dis, Container (Wadi Nar), Ras Abu Sbitan (Olive Terminal), Thu 13.3.08, Morning
In general, the nature of the checkup is randomal. Most cars went through without being checked, and the minority (most of them vehicle that carry passengers - vans, taxis and the like) are being detained and released within minutes, except of the case that will be described in the following passage. Most of them are requested just to present a document of the driver while still on the road, and this checkup takes a short time too and does not stop the traffic.
According to the driver he is a young Palestinian policeman, originally from Jenin, stationed in Beit Lehem, and the passengers say that he is being detained and arrested all the time. Twnety minutes later, and only after we pulled out a video camera
and documented the locked up guy pipping through the bars, one of the soldiers, presenting himself as the DCO representative, approached us. He said that they are waiting for the answer of the GSS about his release.
A few minutes later, and about half an hour after his jailing, he was released, but the documents of all the passengers of the van were laying on the table in the shed, and were not released. Fifve minutes later we approached to find out what happening, and were told that they will release the van within a few minutes. A quarter of an hour later, and about fifty minutes since the van was detained, we saw that they got a phone call in the shed, and then the van was sent on its way and drove northwards, the yound detained man inside.
The place is quiet. The traffic is thin and flowing.
A very thin traffic of people. Waiting time is not long (we timed 12 minutes for a man who entered with a group of people and emerged a few minutes after the group). An elderly couple that arrived at the checkpoint did not get to the other side while we were there. It might be that they were not allowed to go through and had to return.