Bethlehem (300)
The fourth Friday of Ramadan
9:00 to 10:45
Far fewer people came today to pass for prayers in Jerusalem. Perhaps one of the reasons is that the peak of Ramadan had passed, with the prayers Lilt Al Kader, the day the Koran was given to Mohammed. Presumably, many permits were canceled following the attack and the murder at the Damascus Gate.
Till 10:00 the stream of Palestinians was so low that they didn’t have to close the outer court in order to control the boarding of the buses. All the same, from 10:00 many people began to arrive and they again closed the court’s gate until the buses were full and reopened again to fill the new line of buses. In the outer courtyard, they placed 4 chemical toilets (like in a field trip). I did not notice them in previous weeks, but they may have been there all along.
A 10-year-old boy without a permit was allowed to pass on account of his poor health condition requiring a hospital consultation. His father was too young to pass without a permit (47) and was not allowed to pass. The boy was taken by a family acquaintance who had a permit.
Bethlehem (300)
See all reports for this place-
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 .
-