El Khader, DCO Etzion–Dec. 23, 03Watchers: Y.S., S.S. Summary: AT the DCO of Etzion the system lives on. We set out at noon in order to reach the DCO off early. We stopped by at El Khader at 12:30 and there was no sign of the security forces there. DCO-Etzion: A few people, less than 30. There are two open windows: one for magnetic cards and the other for permits. During our short shift at the DCO the windows closed and opened…at about 1 o’clock all the windows suddenly closed–nobody was served. S. went outside and shouted in the direction of the guards and at 1:15 both windows opened and at 1:20 a third window for permits was opened. It’s important not to give up and to go out and shout, as it seems that more windows were opened as a result–it seems to make a difference. The police window has been closed for a week. The telephone number of the DCO is ## We tried to find out why and got two answers: one, the police are in Bethlehem because of the Christian holidays and two there are renovations going on at the DCO office and there is no electricity on the police side of the office. This is the police off ice for coordination and liaison . We noticed that there were lights on in that part of the office, but perhaps that doesn’t mean anything. How does one get a permit? First one pays 50 shekel to the Palestinian Authority in order for them to make a request to the IDF. Then one needs to go to the Israeli DCO in order to get the permit. There are also cases in which the Palestinian Authority gets the permits and distributes them. It’s not clear when that happens. In the waiting room we saw familiar faces of Palestinians who return again and again in order to get a permit. S. tries to help a man whose daughter (the mother of three) is hospitalized in Hadassah, in order to visit her. He is told to come again tomorrow in order to meet the officer S. spoke to. We hope that works out and he is able to visit his daughter. Another man is not able to get a magnetic card for two years, despite the request of his employer in Israel. We hear there is a form one can fill out in order to request the reasons for rejection of a request for a magnetic card. We should find out. At 13:30 we get a call about problems at El Khader. We go there. There are about 10 soldiers from the Nahal who had set up a checkpoint between two cement blocks at the end of the path. There are a number of detainees whose IDs have been taken away at the parking lot next to the road. There are about 300 Palestinians–men, women and children, old and young, healthy and sick crowded in the passage between the cement blocks. One soldier refuses to check documents until the people move back. There is pressure, but everything clears up very quickly. Older women who did not have documents are allowed to pass. After about an hour another soldier starts to check documents. The Palestinians allow the women and children to go first and after about an hour and a half there is less pressure and the people have to wait only 10 min. The shift ended a little after 4.