Bethlehem (300)
3 windows open, lines of people. There is a waiting time and a thorough checking.
Again men and women are surprised to find out they are prevented.
There is no security-guard speaking fluent Arabic today, Palestinians volunteer to translate and explain.
Some of the people utter a juicy curse after they finally pass and are free.
A group of girls/young women pass happily and very excitedly. One is stuck at the checking and is not allowed to pass. The guide in charge of the group approaches the soldier to find out what’s going on and explains that the group has a valid permit and they have a scheduled tour in Yad Vashem Museum. The guard asks why didn’t they come on a bus and who organized the tour. The guide mentions the bereaved families’ forum. The guard approaches the soldier, tries to understand what is the problem, sees that the screen is not red and that there is no prevention and states that it is simply a mistake, that it happens, and the girl passes.
It would be interesting to know if DCL makes mistakes here and there in other areas, not only a Yad Vashem visit.
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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