Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Sun 27.4.08, Morning
07:15 Bethlehem: The terminal is almost deserted, closure still in force. One window open. Outside buses are going in and out celebrating the Greek Orthodox Easter which is today. At the pedestrian exit from the terminal there are minibuses waiting. For whom – not exactly clear. We stand at only open window inside but only medical cases are trying to pass. A single Orthodox priest passes the window.
7:35 Etzion DCL: At the Etzion DCL the waiting room is filled with people . We haven't seen so many people here in months. As the place was closed for regular business all last week, there is a backlog. Nevertheless there is an announcement in Arabic by the police that there won't be a representative there until Tuesday. Why? Otherwise, and in spite of the crowd there, business is orderly. People have numbers and are called in order, about ten every half hour.
A tour guide from Bethlehem who has to meet a group from Jordan in Eilat tomorrow, turns to us. He has to renew his fingerprints. He came a day early from London just to take care of that in anticipation of a full week's work, and now he wants to know if we can help him get in line faster. We politely refuse, but in the meantime we converse with him. He complains, in good English that in this country one can't plan ahead, as there are always hitches. We agree and hope his problem will be solved today. We leave our telephone number with him. As we haven't heard from him we assume that his problem was solved on the spot.
We meet a garage owner who needs a permit to do business in Israel. He has a magnetic card but has a problem with the police. He leaves the DCL in disgust after he tells us that the Terminal has opened on time in the morning, but the soldier on the roof told everyone (before the opening) to leave the place and return home, as it wouldn't open today. After a short while an officer came and opened the door.
"How did you know not to leave?" we asked. He answered that he has experianced this before: a soldier told everyone to go home and then the place opened as usual.
We sit and wait for "customers" but no one else asks for our help and we leave early.
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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