Bethlehem (300)
Bethlehem
At 06: 30 N. an ecumenical volunteer called and asked for help: The Humanitarian Gate at the checkpoint is not open, she tried to call DCL and the Humanitarian Center, to no avail. She reported about a woman, or persons, who were trapped in the gate and couldn’t leave or enter (I don’t know this checkpoint and it’s not clear to me what that means). It is her first day on duty.
I called the Center that transferred me immediately to DCL. They told me that the Humanitarian Gate will not open (on the same day, yesterday) since they have no officers to send there. I told them that people are trapped there and they transferred me to the security guards / soldiers in the field. "At long last someone who speaks Hebrew…"was the first reaction. Then they explained that they have no key to the gate. Only the DCL has the key. It sounded outrageous, and I told them so … they transferred me back to DCL, someone there assured me that he’ll take care of it and hung up before I could ask his name.
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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