Bethlehem, DCO Etzion, Beit Ummar, Al-Nashash – Friday, Nov.17, 2006 observing and reporting: Efrat B, Barbara S visitor: Regina, Lutheran minister from GermanyBethlehem CP:Only one window is operating to deal with people going in both directions, but since only very few try to pass and all those who do are equipped with valid permits, there are no major delays. Still, the unkind attitude of the woman soldier and the men coming in from Bethlehem with their belts in their hands are a depressing sight.As we drive southward towards the wall, we find a new gate – closed, of course – on the western side.Etzion DCL:Several Palestinian men are here to get their permits extended so that they won’t lose their jobs in Tel-Aviv.A soldier shouts at them from inside the compound that if this isn’t medical and urgent, they should go home.When one of the men explains to him the urgency of the issue, albeit not a medical one, the soldier, to our surprise, signals his willingness to help.The men are from Dahariyye near Hebron and tell us horror stories about the Hebron office of the Civil Administration: people arriving at midnight to have a chance to get what they need the next morning, before the office closes at midday, but according to them, out of “hundreds”, only little more than a dozen make it.Beit Ummar:Two Hummers are standing by the roadside, almost, but not quite, blocking a side street. Some local men tell us that this is not an unfrequent occurrence but that usually “they” don’t do anything and leave after a little while. Still, E. inquires if anything happened, upon which she receives the disarming answer, “Nothing, only breakfast”.Near the nursery between Beit Ummar and Al-Arroub, we see several soldiers climbing up the hill and disappearing between the trees. Probably another military operation of utter urgency (a picnic?). We are told that this is not an unusual sight there, but that the purpose is unclear.Al-Nashash:One man tells us that near Kiryat Arba, BP regularly make Palestinian cars wait for ages and asks MW to check this out.The taxi drivers are extremely frustrated with the behavior of the soldiers. Even though not a single vehicle stands beyond the beton blocks which clearly demarcate the parking area, they keep telling the drivers to move their cars further down, just to show their muscles. In the words of one of them, “Every soldier invents his own laws”.