Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Jaba (Lil), Wed 18.2.09, Afternoon
Etzion DCL: we had an interesting shift.They opened a third post for those who needed to issue magnetic cards, so by 14:00, when we arrived, there was no line. A lawyer of a worker who claimed that his permit was taken from him by the soldier at Bieta on Saturday, arrived at the DCL for a new permit. Linda had already finished working for the day and the lawyer was sent back empty handed. Just to make it clear, it was Wednesday, and that worker hadn't been at work for four days.
The permit wasn't at Etzion DCL. I talked to the staff officer that checked with Linda, what was going on. He couldn't however talk to the lawyer as solicitors must talk with the advocacy of district. So how will they know when the permit arrived? The lawyer got Linda's number and he will have to call her (which is something he didn't do on that day). He will probably charge the hard working laborer for having to drive all the way to the DCL with a cab.
It seems that if indeed the permit was taken by a soldier at Beita that was an illegal action. But could someone check with an official source whether a soldier is allowed to confiscate a work permit, without a specific order? Who is allowed to confiscate those permits?
Jaba (Lil): just another checkpoint. Road 367 is an apartheid road apparently, since one of the residents of Jaba told us that "if I am going towards my lot (which is in a distance of 500 meter to the west, on the side of Zturif village) on my tractor, then the police will pop up, give me a fine of 2000 Shekels and confiscate my tractor for 11 days". And heaven forbid that they bring merchandise from Tzurif to Java on the linking road 367, or perhaps take a cab and pay 70 shekels, so that a permitted vehicle might transfer their goods, or even take a risk of parking their car 50 meters from the checkpont and carry sac of sugar, flower or rice by foot. But for the mean while pedestrians may walk on the road and even cross it.
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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Etzion DCO
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serves residents of Bethlehem and surrounding villages who need magnetic cards, work permits for Israel, permits for one-time entry for religious or health reasons, various police permits, etc.
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Jaba' (Lil)
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Jaba' (Lil) In fact, the Jaba checkpoint is east of the Qalandiya checkpoint. Its declared purpose is the prevention of Israeli citizens from entering Area A. A road checkpoint for vehicles, located on Road 65, borders the southern fence of Kfar Jaba, about three kilometers east of the Qalandiya checkpoint, on the road leading to the settlement of Adam on Road 60. Archaeological excavations within the village found the remains of a cloth house from the First Temple period. The events that led to the construction of the checkpoint are precisely here: on the day of the abduction of Gilad Shalit and before the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, a 17-year-old man from one of the settlements was abducted by a Palestinian cell. His body was found several days later at the entrances to Ramallah. A military investigation revealed that his abductors had taken him along this route. The checkpoint was set up to prevent future kidnappings and to warn settlers from traveling to Ramallah and entering Area A (which is forbidden for Israelis). The checkpoint that operates around the clock. Usually only vehicles traveling in the direction of Ramallah are inspected. (November 2016): Every morning, when the settlers en masse travel to Jerusalem on Route 60 and every afternoon they return from Jerusalem on Route 60, the army initiates a traffic jam at the entrance to the Jaba checkpoint and stops the movement of Palestinians traveling toward Route 60. (February 2020): In the last two years the checkpoint has not always been manned. Sometimes the soldiers come and just stand, sometimes they come and stop and check those who enter the village, sometimes they patrol the alleys of the village, sometimes they fire stun grenades and gas and sometimes they invade houses and stop young people, say those passing through the Hazma checkpoint. (Updated February 2020)
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