Al Nashshash, Beit ‘Inun, Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Mon 7.7.08, Morning
07.00 AM Checkpoint 300:
There were five checking booths open, none of them under pressure, and people passed through quickly. According to what the people said, between three and five hundred Palestinians were waiting on the far side. The people in the queue had waited for about an hour on average.07.15 AM Chusan: The traffic was normal; I returned documents which I had handled on behalf of Palestinians who had asked for my help in dealing with them.
07.30 AM AL Nashshash: An elderly man turned to me for assistance. He is a Palestinian who is on the GSS-list of “persons denied because of personal criteria”, until the year 2011.
According to him, he has an employer who is prepared to provide him with work. He doesn’t know which way to turn, and said that the “denial” is like a sentence of death-by-starvation for him and his family.
Isn’t there anything that we can do about these arbitrary “Personal Criteria”?
08.00 AM Etzion DCL: We went in just to see what was happening, and found that more than a hundred people were waiting for the DCL to open. Two officers came out and one of them explained in Arabic that if they maintained order and behaved properly, everyone would be received that day. He added that there were no computer problems like those on the previous day. (Later it became apparent that this wasn’t accurate).
08.15 AM Beit Omer: I returned documents.
08.45 AM Beit 'Inun: Many cars were waiting behind the earth barrier on the Western side. Some taxi-drivers explained to us that the bridge from Chalchul and the checkpoint were closed, and therefore people drove to Beit Chanun, left their cars, crossed the road on foot and after passing through the checkpoint, continued either on foot or by taxis going to Route Number 60.
We tried to help someone who had paid a fine for his imprisoned son, but didn’t know how to transfer the receipt to the court. With C’s help, we managed to receive telephoned instructions for him.
09.15 AM Nebeh Yunis: In the meantime, no traffic arrived from Nebeh Yunis because the bridge at Chalchul was closed. While we stood there, the traffic started to move again and we understood that the bridge had been opened.
Here also we mat a young man who didn’t know what to do, because he is on the police list of “criteria-denied” persons. He told us that, after his police file had been closed, he received a magnetic card, and found an employer who applied for a work-permit for him. Only then he discovered that he is a “criteria denied” person for an additional year. The man was dejected and said “ what shall I do, and how can I earn my living during this year ?”. He has a wife and baby whom he has to support.
What can we do for him ?
10.15 AM Back to the Etzion DCL: Only eighteen people had entered in the meantime. The rest were stuck in the waiting hall and also some waited outside. According to them, no-one had come out during the previous half an hour, and the queue hadn’t advanced. After approximately another quarter of an hour, two more people came out and said that there was a computer problem again.
A man explained to us that his number was 101 and it was clear to him that he had no chance of being received that day. However, he hoped that his place in the queue would be preserved, and that he would enter the next day. Nevertheless, it was clear that he would have had to waste two whole working days, or more if there were further hold-ups.
A-Nashshash
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A-Nashshash
Junction on Road 60 from leading to the southern outskirts of al-Khader, to Salomon pools and to Bethlehem. Until 2015, a blockade at the junction prevented the passage of vehicles from the south (from Hebron) to Bethlehem and from there to the north of the West Bank and vice versa, and a small market developed at the junction, with taxis serving both directions on two sides of the blockage. Until 2015, Members of MachsomWatch police reports team would come to the scene to receive and return traffic violations reports for payment (possible only in Israel).- from Palestinians without a entrance permit to Israel. There is usually no military or police supervision i n place.
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Beit 'ُEinun
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The village is located on the northern outskirts of Hebron, east of Road 60 which leads to Gush Etzion and Bethlehem. Sometimes the army blocks with concrete blocks or an arm checkpoint the entrances and exits from road 60 and also the crossing to the nearby Shuyux . There were attacks on settlers from this village.
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Bethlehem (300)
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Located adjacent to the Separation Wall ("Jerusalem Wrap") at the north entrance to Bethlehem, this checkpoint cuts off Bethlehem and the entire West Bank from East Jerusalem, with all the serious implications for health services, trade, education, work and the fabric of life. The checkpoint is manned by the Border police and private security companies. It is an extensive infrastructure barrier and is designated as a border terminal, open 24 hours a day for foreign tourists. Israeli passport holders are not allowed to pass to Bethlehem, and Palestinian residents are not allowed to enter Jerusalem, except those with entry permits to Israel and East Jerusalem residents. Israeli buses are allowed to travel to Bethlehem only through this checkpoint.The checkpoint, which demonstrated harsh conditions of crowding and extreme passage delays for years, started employing advanced electronic identification posts and has upgraded its gates' system as of the middle of 2019 - and conditions improved.Adjacent to the checkpoint, in an enclosure between high walls and another passage, is the historic Rachel's Tomb, which is now embedded within a concrete fortified building. It contains prayer and study complexes for Jews only, as well as a residential complex. updated November 2019 .
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Etzion DCO
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serves residents of Bethlehem and surrounding villages who need magnetic cards, work permits for Israel, permits for one-time entry for religious or health reasons, various police permits, etc.
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