Bethlehem (300)
8:50 to 10:40
Quite a few people passed, but no long lines were formed because the security guard and/or the officer opened the gate between the windows and quickly let people pass, briefly checking their permits.
Two Ecumenical volunteers changed during the shift, and surprisingly they stood next to me and none of the security guards ordered them to leave and stand outside the checkpoint, the way they usually do.
Two Palestinians were rejected: a very old woman came with a permit that expired long time ago, and an older man without a permit. He was accompanied by his daughter carrying a small baby. She started crying and did not want to go through without her father. She would not talk to me and seemed very agitated. Her father kept trying to convince her to go without him, but she sat on the ground and refused to budge. Her father tried to ask an older Palestinian woman to accompany his daughter and assist her. But the daughter refused that too. The guard was smug, claiming that this show takes place every day. Eventually, after about twenty minutes, the young daughter with her baby went back toward Bethlehem.
The security guards and policemen were unbearable, loud and rude!
Bethlehem (300)
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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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