Bethlehem and vicinity, Wednesday PM, 8.2.06Observers: Maya BH, Daniela G. (reporting)Bethlehem CP 300: One of the soldiers in the booths was willing to answer questions and the other pretended he didn’t speak Hebrew. However, they didn’t throw us out. The few people who came in to cross back to Bethlehem passed quickly but one of the women told us we should have been there in the morning, when there was a multitude of them trying to get to work in Jerusalem. She had to wait one and a half hours.Ezyon DCO: An elderly man living in Wallaje had been waiting for quite a while by the gate in the freezing cold. He wished to make some arrangement so he didn’t have to go all the way around through CP 300 when he wanted to go into Jerusalem, where he claims he actually resides, pays taxes like a regular resident of Jerusalem and his case is pending in court. He was told that Eyal, the DCO commander, could take care of it and the guard at the gate had said that Eyal would come out to him. Suspecting none of this would come about, we called, and Eyal verified he could not help the guy. Instead, we took his details telling him chances were slim that anything could be done.Ezyon CP (the roundabout): The posts in both directions are manned. The sign announcing that from this point road 60 towards north would be an apartheid road, had indeed been removed. An unusually long line of southbound vehicles waiting. The soldiers claimed that they were held up on account of construction works further down the road, making it possible for vehicles to pass in only one direction at a time. We took their word for it, for, indeed, every few minutes the cars in each direction were let through without any checking. Al Kahdre: The usual bustle.Tunnel CP: Again a long queue but proceeding swiftly. Only Isreali vehicles obviously, as all Palestinians have to make the detour via Bethlehem CP.