Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Sun 22.3.09, Afternoon
15:40 – 15:50 PM, Etzion DCL: there were two men waiting for the Shaback when we arrived. As one of them had been waiting since eight o'clock in the morning, and the other one since nine, we talked to the soldiers who were very friendly, but said they did not have anything to do with it. So we called the Shaback and were told that we had dialled the wrong number which was, obviously, not true. We also asked the soldiers how many people were inside the office for service and were told that that it was almost empty. This was corroborated by the fact that a woman who arrived was let in within seconds.
16:15 PM, Bethlehem Checkpoint: there long lines outside the hall, but it took people queuing around seven minutes to pass the control. Four counters were open. We noticed that now all the counters have got fingerprint-machines. When we left there were only around five people left waiting in every line.
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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