Bethlehem (300), Sun 17.3.13, Morning
Translation: Naomi Gal
Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300, 06:45: five windows are open. The passage is swift. Outside they already told me that today is "relatively good". In 10 minutes there are no more people in the hall, waiting to see what will happen next.
Meanwhile, some workers are returning, probably the workers of contractors that canceled today’s work because of the rain (which is not that hard!)
07:00 AM: a new group arrives and passes quickly. The women with children on dialysis are here and are waiting inside for a ride since outside is bitterly cold.
Someone comes up to me with a story: in a village close to Bethlehem (I did not catch the name) the army arrested in the dead of the night a relative of his nephew. Following the arrest, the army entered the house of the nephew and confiscated the ID of this man and his wife's. It was in 05/03/13 and the IDs had not been returned yet. I sent him to Hannah B.
Another man complained that a relative of his, 22 years old, whose leg was amputated at the age of five following an accident, was treated all these years at Hadassah Hospital. He had an appointment there a few weeks ago but did not get a permit because of "security prevention". He went again to ask for a permit but again did not get one. I gave him the phone number of Yael S.
At 7:30 I returned home. I didn’t feel like going to the DCL on my own. Maybe the cold weather prevented many people from going there today.
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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 .
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