Middle East Trip 2003: Syria | Lebanon | Jordan | Palestine The Palestinian-Israeli conflict Travelogue
Day 13 - Jerusalem
02-10-2003
After the breakfast, we went with Abu to the surrondings of Jerusalem to see "in situ" the situation lived by the palestinian community. We had watched it diary in the television but it is much enriching and without doubt it is more striking, to see it by ourselves. Came with us, Anthony, an english man who just arrived from Sudan.
One of the refugee camps surrounding East Jerusalem. This one lodges the families who were expelled from the Old City of Jerusalem to build the esplanade of the Wailing Wall.
You can feel the contrast between the houses of the nearby refugee camp and the modern ones with air-condition systems.
First stop of the trip : we visited a settlement of jews, to which is only able to access through the roads reserved to the cars with israeli number plates. Fortunately, Abu have a car with the correct number plate. This is something we were accustomed to see... for the palestinians, the stuff are not impossible, simply so dificult than the most of the times it doesn't worth. There, the contrast es very fashsy, the settlement is a group of new buildings and streets with carefully asphalted surfaces, private gardens, air conditioning, all as far as 100 meters from a refugee camp where since years are living the expelled people from the Old City due the construction of the square of the Wailing Wall.
Every day, thousands of palestinians cross Qalandia checkpoint, having to suffer delays of several hours, as well as interrogations and all kind of humilliations.
The access of vehicles through the checkpoint is limited to special permissions. The ambulances of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (equivalent to the International Red Cross) are retained during hours, registering numerous deaths of patients in the long queues.
The concrete blocks and the soldiers block the highway in Qalandia, while few Palestinians patiently wait for their turn under the glance of young israeli soldiers. The routine of checkpoints has severely affected the daily life of the palestinian people. This system of harassment began in year 1994.
Second stop: the checkpoint of Qalandia, the forced place to pass for milliars of palestinians that diary have to access to the north area of Jersalem, to Ramallah and other nearly villages. Here, the problem has felt nearer the verify the long and hard queues formed waiting the moment when the israelies soldiers asked and check the documentation of each people who try to pass. The experience of passing by this place remember in some aspects to the city of Varsow during the Second War World. Nobody can escape from the long queue not even the ambulances neither the elder people.
This it is the security wall the israelies are constructing around the West Bank, and that in many cases enters several dozens kilometers into the Palestinian territories with the excuse to protect the railroads that communicate the israelies settlements between them. The Palestinians cannot use these highways.
In some places, like this one, the wall is 3 meters high. In other places, it reaches 8 meters high and or it's a simple electrified wire fence. Completely cutting Palestinian communities, it's expected that the consequences of this 'wall of security' will be still more devastating that checkpoints. Just for the curiosity, to avoid the environmental impact, they are decorating the wall with natural scenes in the visible part from the israeli highways.
Next stop : the protection wall that the israelies are building at both parts of the roads that connect the settlements into the Ocuppied Territories, curiously decorated with natural details in the inner side to not create environmental impact. This wall in less tall than the others they are building to isolate villages.
The access is dificult, but far better than to cross the 30 kilometers that this wall forces to suffer to the people of Abu Dis.
Women of all ages and young students seem to be the most affected by the barbarism of this wall without any sense.
The blockade in Abu Dis extends several streets and forces the population to wait the departure of the israeli army vehicles to climb up the concrete blocks.
Last stop: the shame wall in Abu Dis. Abu Dis is a neighbourhood of Jerusalem, barely 200 meters from the Mount of the Olives, of arab majority, where crosses the separation wall the israelies are building in Cisjordania with the aggravated situation that the route brokes into two middles the poblation, forcing to the inhabitants to jump through the small cracks left in between blocks (or walk around 20 kilometers) to do things so habituals like go to school o buy in a shop. The israeli army is there from time to time and the quarrels are frecuent. We had the opportunity of living the humilliation they suffered, women and children included jumping walls, and the reaction of the soldiers when they arrived there.
As soon as the army vehicle disappears, people rush to the wall and proceed to climb it. People aid each other to carry the shopping basket, the school bag, etc.
Hundreds of students must face every day the wall of shame of Abu East Dis. The wall does not add anything about security, since it is absolutely permeable, and its only purpose is to harass and humiliate the community that undergoes it.
Every while, the israeli army appears in the walls of Abu Dis, and through the speakers of theirs vehicles try to threaten the persons who are climbing the blocks. Sometimes they launch of gases and covered rubber bullets. The main goal is to bother and to humiliate to the civil population, as they dissapear after some minutes of harassment, allowing that sad spectacle to continue.
A little kid looks through the concrete blocks. In one of them you can read 'Ghetto Abu Dis'. It always surprise m the innocence with which the Palestinian children face this type of situations.
The former photo, one of our favorites, catchs better than others the innocence in which the most of the children they faces up this sad situation.

After the hard experience in the morning, we went towards to the mosques esplanade where again, the soldiers forbidden us to go inside, the excuse was that it was late, although yesterday other soldier said that it was the best hour to the visit. They said us that tomorrow, friday, it will impossible because is the holiday for muslims and the saturday is the holy day for jews. So, we had to postpose until the early in the sunday before return to Jordan. We went to the Mount of the Olives a place very near from the centre and hoarded some places of great importance for the history of the Christianity like Tomb of the Virgin Mary in the Asuntion Church, and the Gethsemani Hortus, that was closed yet, but a very kind franciscan friar shown us the carefull garden where the agony happen and the capture by the jews.
Virgin Mary Tomb
Gethsemani and the Dome of the Rock
Sign that describes that Jesus Christ prayed hear before His Passion
Sign that explains that Jesus Christ had doubts and prayed before to be captured and crucified
Church of All Nations close to Gethsemani garden
After the walk, we return to the hotel, through the , at this time, desert streets of the Old City. Tomorrow, Bethlehem...
Street of the Old City

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