Bethlehem (300)
9:15 to 10:50
A line of buses is waiting for those leaving the checkpoint. There are many women and children, but also older men and younger. 2 open windows. A New security guard.
Around 10:00 voices are heard from the Palestinian side of the checkpoint, many Palestinians arrive and suddenly a long line is created. A third window is opened but progress is still very slow. A very large group, mostly women, one of the women is prevented. One of the men, probably her husband, intervenes and tries to convince the soldier to let her pass: “Even to Jordan we passed with this passport, why can’t we pass here?!” But it doesn’t help and the woman is forced to return to Bethlehem.
Another woman, older, is waving a piece of paper with her ID number. She forgot the card at home but asks them to the number at their computer: “In any case she is very old!” adds a man who.volunteered to help her. I suggest to the soldier, “Maybe you should call the officer so he check and decide ?” But the soldier argues that these are the orders he received. Suddenly the young energetic commander, who speaks Arabic fluently comes out. He is everywhere, asking, listening, deciding. Finally he entered one of the windows and began passing the people in his own pace and within 7-minutes the checkpoint was deserted.
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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