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Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Sun 23.3.08, Morning

Place: Bethlehem (300) Etzion DCO
Observers: Sylvia P, Ofra B, Chana A, Renana S (reporting) translation: Chana A.
Mar-23-2008
| Morning

 
7:00 Bethlehem crossing: Closure for Purim. In spite of the closure and the fact that almost no one is allowed to cross, there are two windows open. The girl soldiers want to know who we are and we give them information.
 
A group of Italian pilgrims cross over to Jerusalem to go to church on this Sunday Easter day. We wish them happy Easter and they, having no idea who we are, may well think we represent the Ministry of Tourism!!!
 
The shrill voices of the female soldiers on the other side disturb the silence of the terminal. They scream into the loudspeakers, or at least that is how it sounds, and in the almost complete silence of today, it rails the nerves.
 
We leave earlier than usual and decide to pay a visit to Abu Nassim's grocery in Bet Ummar to show solidarity. The road there is beautiful in the spring, but one's heart breaks when one passes by the refugee camp of El Arub and the dusty grocery of Abu Nassim.
 
Back to Etsion DCL where a soldier's voice screams through the loudspeaker just as in the Bethlehem terminal this morning. We take some new "customers", GSS blacklisted, and towards 10:00 we make our way back to Purim in Jerusalem, celebrated under heavy protection.

  • 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   .

  • 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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