Beit Ummar, Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Tue 6.1.09, Afternoon
Etzion DCL: This was our first MachsomWatch shift in 2009. This was the day of the week allocated to the inhabitants of the villages Chusan and Na’alin who needed to come to the DCL. It was also the second week of the war in Gaza. Today we arrived really early, before twelve noon.
Once again there was almost no-one who came to have his magnetic card renewed, and already at this early hour no-one was waiting either for magnetic cards or permits.. However, there were eight people who had been summoned to appear by the GSS (General Security Service). Within two hours (our shift time plus an hour lunch-break at the DCL) all of them were called in for interrogation. We had a lot of time in this shift to practice our Arabic and to chat with those waiting for their interrogation, most of them citizens of Hebron.
Two of them had been summoned for interrogation for the fourth time. Each time they come they are just given a new summons to come for interrogation the next week. We saw with our own eyes the new summonses of two of the men. Another two told us that they had just been asked for their telephone numbers and then they were released. Two of them had valid work permits and of course they lost the day’s work. Several others also lost a day’s work in the West Bank.
A lawyer came looking for the prison, and Shlomit showed her the way and talked with her. It appeared that three Hamas members of parliament who had been released from prison a month ago had been arrested within the last few days and she is handling their case. An announcement about this has been sent to the newspapers. The mother of a family in Beit Ummar reminded me “ Even in wartime, and never mind what happens, we are still friends, right ?”.
We returned via Valagia, because there was a long queue at the entrance to the tunnels, and there were also lorries laden with stone products waiting at the side of the road. The roads were quiet, and there was a demonstration in Beit Omer while we were there. The demonstration was inside the village, far from the road and we didn’t see or hear anything.
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.
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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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