Jerusalem - South
05/10/2010 ,Morning
Idit S., Drora P. (reporting). Guests: two visitors from Germany
7 a.m, Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300: a stream of smiling people is crossing. "Yesterday was also a good day. May it always be like that."
And inside: the lines are very long and only four counters operating. While we were there one of the female soldiers got up and left, leaving 3 counters operating and the lines growing longer. The DCL Officer A. called her back and crossing speeded up again.
8:00 am, Etzion DCL: the hall is full. Most have come to renew their magnetic cards. There were many people here yesterday but asked to return today due to inability to deal with all of them. Some complained this was their third time here because there had not been time enough to deal with their requests. The malfunction is probably due to the days of closure over Succot. So why are they not prepared for this eventuality?
Two persons who had been turned away at the Rachel Crossing, and their permits confiscated, approached us. They said they had been working for the same employer for 10 years, and the expiry date on their permits is next month. The female soldier told them they could not cross and should go to the "Gush". Here at the DCO they are not dealt with, and they don't know what to do. I called the Humanitarian Centre and the soldier said he would check the cause. Since he was taking his time, I called the DCO Officer at the Rachel Crossing who told me that the correct procedure is to ask the employer who must apply to the Ministry of Employment. After a while A. called back and asked us to tell the couple to return to the Rachel Crossing and get in touch with him. The men went off. I was unable to find out the upshot.
Unfortunately, it is the custom: the soldiers are not bound to explain why permits are confiscated, or to direct the owners to the place where their problem can be resolved.
7 a.m, Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300: a stream of smiling people is crossing. "Yesterday was also a good day. May it always be like that."
And inside: the lines are very long and only four counters operating. While we were there one of the female soldiers got up and left, leaving 3 counters operating and the lines growing longer. The DCL Officer A. called her back and crossing speeded up again.
8:00 am, Etzion DCL: the hall is full. Most have come to renew their magnetic cards. There were many people here yesterday but asked to return today due to inability to deal with all of them. Some complained this was their third time here because there had not been time enough to deal with their requests. The malfunction is probably due to the days of closure over Succot. So why are they not prepared for this eventuality?
Two persons who had been turned away at the Rachel Crossing, and their permits confiscated, approached us. They said they had been working for the same employer for 10 years, and the expiry date on their permits is next month. The female soldier told them they could not cross and should go to the "Gush". Here at the DCO they are not dealt with, and they don't know what to do. I called the Humanitarian Centre and the soldier said he would check the cause. Since he was taking his time, I called the DCO Officer at the Rachel Crossing who told me that the correct procedure is to ask the employer who must apply to the Ministry of Employment. After a while A. called back and asked us to tell the couple to return to the Rachel Crossing and get in touch with him. The men went off. I was unable to find out the upshot.
Unfortunately, it is the custom: the soldiers are not bound to explain why permits are confiscated, or to direct the owners to the place where their problem can be resolved.
04/10/2010 ,Afternoon
Ora A., Shlomit S.
14:00
Etzion DCL: again, very crowded, much pressure, about 100 people waiting since morning. No one came out to speak with them and they had no idea until when they should wait. We were told that only one counter was open. Gradually, some more were opened.
Daniella observed a similar situation yesterday but it was then explained: a meeting of the DCL employees with the head of the Civilian Authority was going on.
The pressure continued until closure time. Many people did not get in and will need to come again next Monday. But even some of the people who did get in were not attended and will need to come again. We saw four people exiting the offices. They had been inside the offices for over three hours! They told us that they had waited in vain yesterday all day long and were asked to come today and had now received their magnetic cards.
Many of the people in the hall turned to us for help. A man leaning on crutches asked us to help him obtain a permit for hospitalization at Hadassah, where he was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday – the following day. A young man whose wife was in hospital for a Caesarean asked us to help him obtain a permit – his request was denied as he was rejected by the Shabak and clearance takes some ten days. Medical permits were also unattended and applicants were requested to leave their documents and come again.
We attempted to call authorities to ease the situation but received little response. One of the officers we reached told us that they weren't talking to us since yesterday. One of us had complained and a formal complaint had been filed against them! But we had received a fine response from a judiciary at the Judea-Samaria court. We had inquired for a man who wished to know when his trial was due. She found out that the trial had already taken place and explained the case in detail to us, telling us which further steps could be taken.
Or, from the Humanitarian unit, a person answered our calls. As always, he did his best to find answers and solutions, not always receiving decent response from his sources.
A Palestinian who was a US resident told us that his father was on his deathbed at Hadassah and he wanted to transfer him home, to Bethlehem, but he did not hold a magnetic card nor did he have a permit to enter Jerusalem.We could only suggest that he hire an ambulance - but our man disappeared in the crowd.
At 4:45 there was an announcement that those waiting for a magnetic card would not receive them today and were requested to return next week. Only those waiting for entrance permits remained. At 17:00 the waiting hall was closing down. Outside one person remained: his brother, who was imprisoned for six years and had been released yesterday, was summoned to the DCL this morning at 8:00 and hadn't come out since. Despite our inquiries we had no way to find out what had happened to him and had to leave. We asked the man to let us know once his brother showed up. Indeed, at 20:00 he was back home after having spent 12 hours with the Shabak.
Until some monthsback the DCL at Etzion was operating very well. No crowding and no lines. It is now some three months that the situation has deteriorated. We are very eager to see that the situation improves as soon as possible. Urgent!
04/10/2010 ,Morning
Ada G. (reporting), Shraga G. (driving)
07:00 Bethlehem– Checkpoint 300: three inspectionstations are open, and only a few people at each of them. Everyone passes through and tells us that thepassage is excellent today., and takes only 10-20 minutes. According to the officer’s estimate, about 2220 people passed throughthe checkpoint between the hours 04:30 and 07:00.
07:30 Hussan: a driver by the name of Ahmed tells us a long and tough story, but itsnot clear whether we can help him.
07:50 Etzion DCL: about 50 people are waiting for the DCL to open. About 90 names are on the list prepared by a Palestinian. Another Palestinian tells us that yesterday,Sunday, at 12:00 people heard that the army chief of staff, Ashkenazi wascoming for a visit ! They were promisedthat everyone who was not dealt-with would be able to come on the followingday, i.e. today, and they are now waiting to be accepted.
I was in telephone contactwith the man, and until the hour 14:00 he had not entered but he told me thatthere were only three people in front of him in the queue. Why did he have to waste two whole workingdays to renew his magnetic card ? Withall due respect to the Chief of staff, why did he have to come duringworking-hours ?
Beit Ummar: several people ask for help with the usual stories,and we answer to the best of our ability.
09:00 Nabi Yunis: we make several telephone calls in an attempt to find solutions to peoples’ problems. How little can one do, how tough are theproblems, and how frustrated we feel !
03/10/2010 ,Afternoon
Daniella G., Maya B.-H. (reporting)
15:15pm, Etzion DCL: already on our way we received a frantic call from awoman we know who asked us to come ASAP, because the situation was desperate.Indeed, there were close to 40 people waiting, many of them crowdingagainst the immobile turnstiles. They told us that nobody had beenadmitted in the past hour at least, some claimed to have been there sincemorning, and they reported that those emerging said only one window was manned,and most requests were turned down. We found out that the reason forthe chaos was that all the DCL personnel, from lowly soldiers to the officers,were in a meeting with the Head of the Civil Administration, a meeting due toattend in half an hour or so. So yet again a situation arose that couldhave and should have been dealt with at the minimum by giving notice to thefrustrated waiters about the situation, saving them time, temper,and aggravation. Why do we have to be the messengers to deliverthese news to the people in the DCL, rather than the DCLpersonnel??? Most people chose to wait, and indeed within about 45minutes, the turnstile started to turn and people slowly were admitted. We were concerned that 5pm would arrive before they could all walk in, and madeseveral phone calls in that regard. By 5pm, all had been admitted, and weleft.
17:15pm, Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300: the place was almost deserted, probably because of the late hour. The 2 privatesecurity guards stood at the doorway, unemployed.
29/09/2010 ,Morning
06:40, Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300: closure on account ofSucot holiday.
21/09/2010 ,Afternoon
Yael L. J. (reporting) Avital F. (driving)
14.30 till 17.00 PM, Etzion DCL
General remarks: On the following day the Succot holiday starts, with a week long closure of all the checkpointsto Israel. Today we are only visiting Etzion DCL.
We arrived at 15.30 PM. Six cars withPalestinian numbers parked in the parking lot. Before the open door of the waiting hall stood 8 men and a Muslim woman. Some men told us that mostof them were waiting for a renewal of their magnetic cards. They werefrom Beit Sahour. One of them told us that there would be no chance to renew thecards during the Jewish holidays. So they were waiting now even it was nottheir day. One young man approached us and in fluent English told us thefollowing story:He was a medical student, learning at the medical colllege in Abu Dis.To attend the lectures he has to go to Abu Dis university by bus via checkpoint Wadi Nar. Afew days ago soldiers in Wadi Nar were picking him out of hisbus and told him that he had to appear at the Etzion DCL at 11.00 o'clock onSeptember 21, 2010. He came on time even though he missed important lectures at Abu Dis. Somebody (from Shabak?) took his ID ordering him to wait. This hedid until we came. We tried to get the attention of the soldier behind the turnstile (and thick glass) that the student is waiting to be served. The soldier called him in and sent him to an office around the house (Shabak?). Thestudent came back with his ID and a new summon for11:00 on October 4.Again a loss of a day at the university on which he was supposed to have important tests.
20/09/2010 ,Morning
Chaya O., Ada G. (reporting). Charles K. (translating)
Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300, 7:00 am: four booths open, no lines. The Palestinians say the crossing operates very well today. The representative of the ecumenicals says the humanitarian crossing opened late.
07:20 am, Hussan: no activity.
07:30 am, Al Nashshash: a policeman stops a Palestinian car at the traffic roundabout.
08:20 am, DCO Etzion DCL: about sixty people waiting. They've prepared a list, and enter according to the list. There's no policeman on duty today, and there won't be one in the next few days. No notice is posted to that effect.
08:40 Beit Ummar: no activity.
09:00 Nabi Yunis: we dealt with various problems.
09:45 : on our way home we stopped again at Beit Umar to explain the convoluted procedure for obtaining a specific police permit. It really is complicated.
19/09/2010 ,Afternoon
Daniella G. (H), Maya B.-H. (reporting E)
Etzion DCL, 15:15 pm: few people waiting, and even they are let in within
minutes. The blue policeman is off duty today, no explanations. The
soldier at the window is at the window, and we express our appreciation
for the state of the waiting room -- a big change from the previous Sunday
PM.
Route 60, Etzion's old Checkpoint: there are soldiers manning the old CP, as there have
been for the past 3 weeks. Since we don't see them stopping anyone, it is
unclear what they are doing there.
Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300, 4-5pm: From afar we can hear the hubbub of distress. The
2 parallel lines are long as reach all the way to the road, maybe 100 men
strong. Nothing moves. We sqeeze our way inside, to see a single booth
open, dealing with the traffic going INTO Jerusalem, and a couple of
soldiers chatting outside the booths. Before we can complain, police
officer E arrives, and instructs the civilian guards to let everyone
though, unchecked. He has to encourage the guards to speed up, as one in
particular seems uninclined to make passage so swift and easy, and keeps
trying to bodily push the surging crowd back. But they may have been
waiting a long time before we arrived, and now they rush through in
minutes. Meanwhile new busloads arrive, and a new line forms. They are
allowed in 5 by 5, but when this is not fast enough, another round is
allowed passage unchecked. We only left when the stream of arrivals
abated, but during that time, passage was sufficiently swift, though only
2 booths were working.
It is ironic when we get the occasional ire of the frustrated
Palestinians: "Why don't you do something?", "Why aren't you always
here?", "why don't you go to the Bethlehem side?". Our power to help is
clearly overestimated.
The vehicle CP outside has reopened.
19/09/2010 ,Morning
Sylvia P., Ofra B., Hana A. (reporting)
07.00 am, Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300: three inspection windows are open, and the situation is difficult today. Those coming out report that the crossing took about two hours. They complain about the female soldiers who shout and talk into their telephones, but most of the delay is on the Palestinian side, where people are not allowed to pass and the inspectors don't use the electronic inspection instruments which are at their disposal, and so forth. It's the usual story. According to the EAPPI's count ( the Ecumenical volunteers ) 1720 people have passed up till now. One can hear that many more are still waiting (on the other side). The situation continues to be difficult until 07.40, when the hall fills-up with people. The inspection at the windows is performed quickly, and those who arrive last report that the crossing took only half-an-hour, or even less. By 08.00 the hall is empty. The difficult conditions in the early hours are a recurring problem every day and not just on Sundays. Those passing through the checkpoint posess permits, and it should be possible for them to get through faster, but there is no cooperation from those in-charge. Also, there is insufficient manpower. But even if there were, it would have to be accompanied by a willingness to let the throng of people through quickly. The workers coming out are frustrated. 08.30 am, Etzion DCL: there are many applicants for magnetic cards and special permits. Many people approach us for help because they are on the GSS-denied list. We leave the DCL at around 11.00. During our shift we receive a telephone-call from the Kalkilia checkpoint, where the following serious case of a human-rights violation took place: A young woman from Nablus, who had been accepted as a student in a prestigious international course of study at Tel-Aviv university, passed through the checkpoint there with a special one-day permit in order to make the necessary arrangements at the university. (Because of her outstanding academic record, she has received a full scholarship to finance her studies from the Wolfson Foundation in London). The student arrived at the checkpint at 07.00 and saw in front of her a sign-board in three languages - Hebrew, English and Arabic - which welcomes the people arriving at the checkpoint On the Hebrew sign is written something like “have a pleasant journey”; however, on the Arabic version was written (the equivalent of) “have a happy death”. Apparently an Arabic-speaking soldier had erased the word “journey” and replaced it with “death” . The student photographed the Arabic sign. She was detained and put into an inspection room, where - without any explanation - she was forced to strip completely, and held for four hours. After this delay, during which she was subjected to prolonged abuse, she was allowed to continue on her way to the university. Is this really the path to cooperation and peace with the Palestinians ? Is this (an example of) an intentional policy towards Palestinian students in general, or just to this student ? Will she have the strength to study in Israel when she has to pass through the Kalkilia checkpoint every day ? A complaint has been lodged by the head of the program with the coordinator of the government's activities in the occupied territories. The complaint includes a demand for a written explanation about this case, prior to a formal complaint being submitted to the military advocate's office. And we (in MachsomWatch) ask : for how long will this senseless and domineering mistreatment of detainees continue, and for how long will the weakness of a population under military occupation continue to be exploited ?
14/09/2010 ,Afternoon
Yael L.-J. (reporting), Avital F. (driving)
15.00 PM, Etzion DCL: nine Palestinian cars are on the parking lot, one of them - a UN car. A man and two women were getting off and disappearing in the area of the base. The waiting hall was first vacant. Later 14 people more were coming. All of them were let in immediately.
16.15 PM, Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300: the street was packed with busses and private cars. Israeli passengers were at Rachel's Tomb for Penitential prayers (saying Slichot).
In the waiting hall a lot of (mostly) men were intending to get home by crossing the checkpoint. Two counters were open. A civil guard and a soldier were trying to open more counters, but failed. So from time to time they were opening a gate for the tourists from Bethlehem in order not to block the whole flow. The papers of the tourists were not checked.
We left at 16.45 PM .
