Bethlehem and surroundings–Sunday, Dec. 18, AMObservers: Sylvia P, Ofra B, Chana A (reporting)6:50 Bethlehem, “Rachel Crossing”: well-nigh deserted. A few Christian pilgrims, having passed through the CP, are waiting for their minibus. They report a crossing of 10 minutes. We walk into the exit area, and see one or two crossers, but then are shoved out of there by the commander of the CP. Not allowed, etc. Military area. There are four detainees in two groups on the way. We go back and see more (5) detainees in the detention shack at the former CP site. They are five men who were caught at the Hadassa Hospital earlier in the morning. They are looking for work, have no permits, the usual story. We do not wait for their release. At the Tantour turnoff to Jerusalem the two minibuses we observed at the Rachel CP are being emptied of their passengers, one or two are sent back and the others are allowed to continue.7:30 El Khader: two jeeps are obstructing traffic, obviously declaring a presence. Dozens of yellow cabs bring the daily travelers to Bethlehem. We park the car and start our “work”, petitions for GSS refused blots to be removed. The car sits in a sea of mud, but the weather is kind to us and we have many customers. There is a general closure and even those with permits are not allowed to come into Jerusalem. When I ask if they knew there had been a terror attack, I get a negative answer. One man says: Idiots!8:20 Ezyon DCL: Many people are waiting for us and we write, call and talk and feel the lay of the land. Two young men are there to get a day’s entry permit for a relative in Hussan who has been injured at work. He was taken by ambulance to Hadassa ten days ago and has an appointment at the clinic there for a check up today. No amount of telephone calls are able to get him the entrance permit (Dalia Bassa and the Ezyon officers). In the end, the soldier at the window writes a referral to a specific doctor in Hebron to go to, but the relatives say: We don’t want Arab doctors, only Jews. We give him the ACRI folder on human rights with the telephone numbers of, among others, Physicians for Human Rights. We leave at 10:45.