Bethlehem Region Monday,24.4.06 AfternoonObservers:Shlomit S., Ora A., Yael S. – ReportingNo one thinks of her/himself as being wicked…At the Ezyon DCO there are still painful scenes, and despair is widespread, as it was last week – only worse…We arrived before 2pm.This time there were 4-6 people waiting for medical permits. One said that the effects of the injection he had in the morning would soon be wearing off so that he couldn’t wait any longer. Two others waited for the permits, and two more young men and a young woman were there as well. After some hysterical phone calls to the spokesperson and the one in charge of health matters in the civil administration, the applicants were allowed inside. Four received their needed permits, and the two young men didn’t receive what they needed because they were asked to each bring a summary of their illnesses in order to consider their cases… the appointment slips they had with them weren’t enough.Winter returned today, and it was cold. Some people arrived by van and sold felaffel, beigelach, and even prepared hot tea and sold it for NIS 1. Palestinians don’t take 10 agorot coins, so there was no tip.About twenty people were already inside the hidden inner sanctum and dozens more were outside hoping for the long-awaited magnetic card.We decided to drive to Beit Ummar to find out about the gunfire from yesterday – details will be sent separately.At about 3:30pm we returned to the Ezyon DCO – the scene had totally changed. Apparently the computer had crashed, so there was no chance of getting magnetic cards. That happened at 1:30pm, and according to the Administration, there was only a small chance it would be repaired today…but they’re making an effort…Since there were still about twenty people there, we asked them to tell us their personal stories. And here’s where we encountered the bitter truth.A’ has a permit valid until May 5, 2006 – but he has no magnetic card. On the left side of the permit is a list of limitations. No.4 says the permit is valid only when accompanied by the proper card (meaning the magnetic card). So as far as the computer is concerned, there’s no problem in giving A the magnetic card, but as far as the actual implementation is concerned, this is his third day of trying…B has already been coming back to the Ezyon District Liason Office for ten days. He’s 39 years old, works in construction, and even though his employer has tried to help – it hasn’t worked. Ten days from dawn until closing time he waits to receive the card that may allow him to feed his family… unless his employer gets fed up with waiting and hires another worker instead.C. told us, on the other hand, that his permit had been taken away from him at Checkpoint 300 because he had worked during the (lengthy) closure, and now he needed his magnetic card – no longer valid – to get a new permit. The decision of the administration – “When the closure ends, his employer can come and submit a request for him”… his permit is until the middle of May.D. This is the last story for today – D had a medical document, but it said that the permit was valid only with the magnetic card (see the case of A above). Eyal said he could pass through even if his magnetic card wasn’t issued – I hope they also know about that at the checkpoints.The loudspeakers in the place are blaring so loudly we can’t stand it, giving off terrible whistles. The lavatories are filthy, and there’s no contact with the Palestinians.There’s also no room for a third party to intervene in the work of the liaison and coordination administration – there’s no way to submit a list of names to their superiors of those waiting; there’s no way to prepare computerized lists of those entitled to magnetic cards and to give them an appointment for a certain time; there’s no way to make orderly lines; there’s no way to photograph the request in the entrance by using the photocopy machine that is already there and to call people by their names; and there’s no way to receive requests and set up future appointments. There’s no possibility…On yesterday’s news they told us of 800 illegals who were caught, mostly in Jerusalem – and no one had their doubts… and no questions were asked – what were these 800 people actually doing in Israel?????While driving back home, we tried to understand how they were all truly trying to do the best they could, and still the scenes we encountered were bleak, so Ora, in her own quiet manner, commented: “No one thinks of her/himself as being wicked.”