Bethlehem, Tue 23.11.10, Afternoon
14.00 PM till 16.30 PM
14:00 PM: I picked up Avital at Giv'at Ram. From there our route led us to checkpoint Wallajee (14.45 PM, empty). After crossing the checkpoint of the tunnel road, we arrived at Etzion DCL at 15.10 PM. No-body was there. A sign informed us that the office this day closed at 13.30 PM.
Question: this situation, standing before closed doors in Etzion DCL happened to us already twice before. The Palestinians seemed to be informed. No-one of them was there.
May it be possible for us observers to get this information too and on time – through Machsom Watch?
It takes time, gasoline and money (I always pay by myself) to get to Etzion DCL and it is the second time that we wasted our time and money.
Anyway: we continued (15.15 PM) to drive via Herodion and checkpoint Har Homa (also deserted) to:
16:05 PM, Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300: workers and employees (a few women) arrived by busses and ran to the two open counters (3 and 4). The soldiers checked documents for a while, and each time when the queue got too long they opened the middle door and let everybody pass without checking them. The result was: fast passage – the Palestinians did not have to wait too long.
The checking crew was mixed: a blue police officer, two young soldiers at the counters and two security guards (from a private guarding company) overseeing the crowd.
Bethlehem (300)
See all reports for this place-
Located adjacent to the Separation Wall ("Jerusalem Wrap") at the north entrance to Bethlehem, this checkpoint cuts off Bethlehem and the entire West Bank from East Jerusalem, with all the serious implications for health services, trade, education, work and the fabric of life. The checkpoint is manned by the Border police and private security companies. It is an extensive infrastructure barrier and is designated as a border terminal, open 24 hours a day for foreign tourists. Israeli passport holders are not allowed to pass to Bethlehem, and Palestinian residents are not allowed to enter Jerusalem, except those with entry permits to Israel and East Jerusalem residents. Israeli buses are allowed to travel to Bethlehem only through this checkpoint.The checkpoint, which demonstrated harsh conditions of crowding and extreme passage delays for years, started employing advanced electronic identification posts and has upgraded its gates' system as of the middle of 2019 - and conditions improved.Adjacent to the checkpoint, in an enclosure between high walls and another passage, is the historic Rachel's Tomb, which is now embedded within a concrete fortified building. It contains prayer and study complexes for Jews only, as well as a residential complex. updated November 2019 .
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