Bethlehem and surroundings, Tuesday AM, 05.04.05Observers: Hava H., Tamar A. (reporting)06:45-10:4006:45Bethlehem CP 300A BP soldier insists we stand far from the checkpoint, where we can hardly see anything and can speak with anybody. We ask whether the 10 men standing on the side are detained. He says yes but adds he doesn’t have to give us any explanation. We can’t see them once we go to one side of the checkpoint and they go to the other. In the pedestrian’s passage there’s a long line but the checking seems rapid. About 5 vehicles wait to pass. UN workers need to get out of their car and be checked.07:40 El KhadrPlenty of cars and people but no military presence.2 soldiers and 2 blue policemen stand on the crossroads of roads n. 60 and 375. Both roads have heavy traffic towards Jerusalem, especially israeli-settlers on their way to work. Police help regulate the traffic, but they don’t help Palestinian cars- instead they give them a 250 NIS traffic fine for not respecting a stop sign that israeli cars are allowed to ignore according to the same policeman. Apparently Palestinian traffic tickets produced 3.5 millions NIS this year. A van driver is held in a police jeep for at least half an hour. They may have threatened to take his license. The policeman giving the reports, Aviv Barak, refuses to speak either with us or the Palestinians. We call Dalia Makiton from the traffic department and she refers us to Hevron police. Before we call them Barak recalls he has another mission, releases the driver, calls to the other policeman to stop regulating traffic and leaves with the 2 soldiers. One soldier told us as soon as we got there that they are not involved, and later he looks down with shame for the shameful situation he is witnessing and clearly understands. We meet a palestinian who didn’t get his license back even after paying his tickets.We go to Walaja to see the olive trees felled yesterday by the Israel land administration. 08:45 Beit Jala checkpoint:Quite as usual08:50 WalajaEntering the village we meet one of the tree owners whose trees were felled. He takes us to see the place. He says he’s payed tens of thousands of NIS to postpone a demolition order on his house until he gets a permit, but getting a permit is impossible. We arrive and the felling area, all wired and bearing signals saying it is the property of the Israel land administration. The residents claim they have a court ruling confirming the area is their own property. The felled trees are situated in an area where according to the new map of the ministry of defense a wall will be constructed. The residetns we met are despaired and don’t know what to do.10:40 Walaja checkpointAlmost no traffic.