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Bethlehem (300), Tue 5.2.13, Morning

Place: Bethlehem (300)
Observers: Rachel M., Drora P. (Reporting).
Feb-05-2013
| Morning

Translation: Naomi Gal

Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300, the Israeli side:
6:50 AM, many people who had already crossed the checkpoint are waiting for transportation outside of the checkpoint. Inside, a stream of people are passing. Everything is done quietly and efficiently for the benefit of those who are passing. Since the people who are crossing do not have to present a working permit in Israel, the passage is faster.
One of the passers waited at the corridor behind the counters in order to check the reason for the denial of his passage. One of the officers dealt with the problem, only to find out that the answer was the same one the man got in the first place. The man again turned to the DCL. The inquiry was conducted quietly and farther away from us so that we could not find out the details.
By 7:20 the entire line was gone.

  • 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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