Bethlehem (300)
Bethlehem
09:00 to 10:45
This week too is very busy here. The weather improved slightly, it’s no longer freezing and people pass, some for praying, some to visit relatives and others probably are going back to work that was interrupted by the bad weather. At the beginning of the shift only one window was open and then another one opened. Later two more were opened so there were a total of four. The senior officer acted occasionally with consideration toward the many older women who stood in line, and let them pass swiftly along with quite a few children. An Ecumenical volunteer was observing from nine and ten. Women age 60 and older passed, younger women were required to provide a permit. Again and again the humiliating scene of Palestinians explaining to each other how to perform the biometric check was repeated – how to rub your finger so that the machine will recognize the fingerprint and the line will proceed without delay.
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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