Bethlehem and surroundings, Wednesday afternoon, 26.4.2006Observers: Laura S. Tammie B. Zipi A.Natanya translating. 14.30 Beit Umar: Soldiers stationed opposite the shop stop cars for inspection14.45 Ezyon crossroads We saw two soldiers leading a man whose head is in a black bag. A captain comes out to meet us and says that the young man is wanted and that his head has been covered so that he should not be able to identify the secret service person who is interrogating him. He says he will be released and later sent to a further interrogation of the secret service. 15.00-16.00 Ezyon DCO: A terrible stench and filth emanates from the toilet next to where about 100 people are standing. Deafening calls from the microphone are incomprehensible. The period of waiting is terribly long and people have to wait in the hot hut crowded together. Some of them say that they come at 4 in the morning so as to get in as early as possible but they spend their time waiting fruitlessly. The procession of people to the actual windows is agonizingly slow. People lose their patience and there are arguments about who is in line. The turnstile controlled by the soldier on the roof gets stuck with people inside it. The people say that they know that they may not get to the windows despite having waited all night and day.A young man who comes with a relative to get a permit for parents to visit their child who is hospitalized in Ein Karem, asks for our help in getting the permit which has been prepared for him at the DCO. Dalia Bassa confirms this but it is difficult to get hold of someone at the DCO because they are so “busy”. The hut is crowded and few people come out with a smile on their faces. The young man gets his permit and comes running to us in pleasure to show us the actual permits he has received for the parents of the child. When we leave there are still 10s of people waiting hopefully.16.20 Checkpoint 300, The Terminal:A police car at the car checkpoint. Little traffic and slow. A few people wait at the pedestrian lane to show their ids. A man who tried to pass through the turnstile with his baskets tries to show his id and is sent back to the end of the line (which luckily was short). He had to be taught the rules. First the id and then you yourself and can through.We met a young woman from Italy who has been here a few years workimg for a welfare and cultural organization. She says the situation in Gaza is very bad. People are starving and the situation is getting worse.16.50 Back to Jerusalem