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Beit Ummar, Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Mon 9.2.09, Morning

Place: Beit Ummar Bethlehem (300) Etzion DCO
Observers: Idit S., Ada G. (reporting)
Feb-09-2009
| Morning

06:45 AM, Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300:  people dribbling out. Four open positions, sometimes not a single Palestinian at a checking point, and they wait for comers. Outside, on the Palestinian side, considerable crowding. They did indeed open shortly after 05:00 till 05:30, then closed until 06:00. Between 06:00 and 07:00 1280 people passed according to the count of an international volunteer. Usually according to them 1790 cross in the same time span, so today was very slow. A group of Austrian tourists asking to cross to the Israeli side at 07:00 did not succeed by 07:20 when we had to leave. 

08:00 AM, Etzion DCL:  the DCL opened, 30 people waiting. They have put new chairs into the waiting room, still covered in nylon, seem better quality than the ones that broke, and they now fill the room. 

08:30 AM, Beit Ummar:  we delivered vouchers to one man, and returned to Etzion. 

09:00 AM, Etzion DCL:  meanwhile 10 of the people waiting have gone in. Today is a short work day, only till 12:00, and then the closure starts because of election day. There is a notice about it on the door of the waiting room. 

  • Beit Ummar

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    • Beit Ummar

      The Gush Etzion-Hebron road - which is the main axis of  the southern Hebron Mountains - passes through the boundaries of the village. Many incidents of stone throwing occurred on this section of road. There is a checkpoint at the entrance to the village.

      In March 2006, a 25-dunam land seizure order was issued around the settlement for the purpose of establishing a "special security area" (SHBM) and a warning fence around the nearby settlement, Carmei Tzur. In April 2019, 401 dunams of the land of the villages of Beit Omer and Halhul were expropriated for the purpose of paving a road that bypasses the house of Omer to the east.  Demonstrations are held by the villagers against the seizure of land with the participation of Palestinian, Israeli and international activists.

  • 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   .

  • 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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