Al Nashshash, Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Wed 10.9.08, Morning
Bethlehem – Rachel Crossing: the Palestinians are moving towards the checking booths at a very slow pace. Sometimes the soldiers have to stand and wait for them to come. According to the Palestinians the line on the other side of the wall is very long. There are apparently very few people in the internal room (there are no sounds coming from there). Since we are not allowed to pass to the other side we can only assume that the people are being brought in at a very slow pace. The result is that people start their work day tired and upset, and this during Ramadan, when they have to wake up even earlier.
Al-Nashshash: we met a Palestinian with whom we coordinated ahead of time. We took some documents and money to pass to his attorney to take care of some traffic violations.
Nebi-Yunes: a Palestinian man approached us on behalf of his neighbor. His 14 year old son had been summoned to court. He received a letter with a summons date, which stated that the reason for the summons would arrive on a separate form that was supposed to be sent to the neighbor. However he never received the extra form and had no idea what the summons was about. We suggested that he should talk to the police men at the DCL.
Etzion DCL: the hall is full as usual. It is 9:00 am, and so far 20 people have been seen. We wrote down names and phone numbers of people so we could check by the end of the day how many people were shown in. The line is more orderly, since people are issued numbers when they come in, however if they are not admitted they must return on the next allotted day (which can be a week later) and are issued new numbers.
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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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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