Back to reports search page

Bethlehem (300), Visits to Villages, Walaja, Thu 2.2.12, Afternoon

Place: Al-Walaja Bethlehem (300)
Observers: Yael I., Ilana D. (reporting)
Feb-02-2012
| Afternoon

From 2:00 till 4:30 PM

After the many reports re land confiscation and weekly demonstrations we decided to inspect the progress of the wall around Walaja yet once more.
We entered via the Ein Yael Checkpoint and saw major works on the Refaim park which is part of the circular green belt around Jerusalem. A new gate had been installed to block of the improvised exit from Wallaje. The security road from the CP straight up is now frequently used by cars. At the entrance to Har Gilo we saw many Palestinian cars of the contractors in charge of the fence and/or the construction of the huge extension of the settlement. We entered through the wall and continued driving on the other side of it along a sidewalk and much heavy equipment until we reached the house of Omar which will be completely fenced in, meanwhile a tunnel has been constructed (just for the one house), so he and his family will be able to reach the village.
We turned right instead of continuing straight down to the CP and after we had passed the rubble we entered the Toscana landscape to end up at the Cremisan monastery. There has been a decision re its fate ‘to decide not to decide’ and for the next five years the fence will not run between the buildings of the monks and the nuns. The students are still not allowed to remain at night on the premises and they sleep in the Ratisbone  Monastery in West Jerusalem. One is in charge of selling wine and  it is apparently exquisite 22-years old brandy.

There had been approved plans to add a huge building, but of course these are now shelved. A contractor from Nazareth is doing some renovations. We were told re the access to Beit Jalla from there which we had considered off-limits to Israelis, but is not. One can continue through the grounds of the monastery along the road past the convent and a rehabilitation hospital towards the old checkpoint of the DCL (next to the Everest Hotel) from where we descended to the Tunnel Checkpoint of which we had an excellent overview – it is even more monstrous from above. We entered the lane of Palestinians but ours was the only car not checked.
There was no checking at Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300 and the workers ran through the building to get home fast. On the eastern side of the CP we entered a strange site which we had assumed would become the tourist passage point, but it looks like a quarry – we were immediately spotted by an Arab security guard with a car who chases after us to inform us that we were trespassers and should leave immediately. 

  • Al-Walaja

    See all reports for this place
    • Al-Walaja

      A checkpoint for vehicles, located on the Green Line, in Nahal Refaim National Park. Staffed by Border Police and private security companies and active 24 hours a day. Palestinians are not allowed to cross, except for residents of East Jerusalem. Preparations are made to move the checkpoint so that The Ein Haniya spring, which has been used by the villagers for generations, will be permanently blocked for Palestinians, as will the the access to the 1,200 dunams of their surrounding agricultural land. Machsomwatch has been in contact with the people of village and reported on their changing situation over the years. (See the link to the reports)

      Part of the village is in the municipal territory of Jerusalem  drawn after 1967. In 2009 the village was surrounded by a separation barrier (mostly a wall) and then demolitionx of houses in the Jerusalemite part were carried out due to lack of building permits (but the fact is that no outline plan was prepared for the village, therefore it is impossible to get any permit for construction). In 2018, a petition was submitted to stop the demolitions, and it was agreed that the village, with the help of the organizations "Bimkom" and "Ir Amim" will prepare an outline plan, while the demolitions orders will be freezed. Despite the fact that the approval process  is underway and soon to be discussed in court,  a decision was approved in August 2023  to demolish 6 houses immediatly . Protest actions by inhabitants and various organizations, including Machsomwatch are now taking place to cancel this decree.

      updated to August 2023

  • 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   .
Donate