Bethlehem: Thurs. Dec. 23, 04 PMObservers: Gili K., Eva P. Maya M. (reporting)AT three o’clock we arrived at the Etzion DCO. The people were recieved at the windows, but they told us that they are mainly being given a run around and are not provided with sufficient information. For example: A resident of Ducha ( a village near Gilo) has requested a permit from the police and was not told that the police window will be closed on thurs. dec. 23, so he came for nothing. He was also not told that the police window will be closed from DEc. 26 until Jan 2. This information was in fact written on a piece of paper that was pasted on the window but he was not able to read it as he is illiterate. The fact that he was not given this information verably when he approached the window, and also the fact that they told him “come tomorrow”, as they did in previous times when he came to the DCO shows the lack of respect of the soldiers who work at the DCO. “Come to tomorrow” has apparently become a habitual sentence that has no connection to what actually could be done “tomorrow” and the people often accept this as a real operative suggestion and then actually do “come tomorrow”. It’s not difficult to understand the anger this sort of behovior provokes. On this particular day, thursday, “tomorrow” would be Friday, when the DCO is closed, and sunday DEc. 26, the next working day, the police window will be closed.Another example: A building contractor recieved a permit into Jerusalem for three months in order to buy building materials. He had a letter from the supplier stating that he had ordered the materials and needed the permit to pick them up. HOwever, he could not get the actual paper (permit) because they said that they had already given out their quotion of merchant permits and are waiting for a new instructions from the ministry of defense as to when (and how many) new permits they can give out. However, this man was told to go to the Palestinian DCO in Bethlehem even though they knew that this man is not a resident of Behlehem and will get no service at all from that office. This too is an example of a response whose only purpose is to get rid of the applicant, and give him the run around.Another applicant who wished to get a permit to enter Jerusalem for prayer was referred to the Moked.Bethlehm CP 300: There was a great deal of traffic that moved slowly, but at a reasonable pace. We saw no pedestrians but perhaps there was another path for pedestrians.Tunnel Road: We returned to the Tunnel Rd. because we saw a flying checkpoint made up of a BP jeep there. IDs were checked and 20 were detained. When we returned there there were only a few detainees left and we waited until the last of them was released and none of them arrested.