Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Tue 15.11.11, Afternoon
Etzion DCO
16:00—14:00
General remark
Because of professional needs of Avital we had to shorten our tour. The checkpoint Bethlehem got left out. Usually there is no control when Palestinian workers and employees are streaming home after work.
Etzion DCO
When we arrived at 14:40 it was almost empty. There were four Palestinian cars in the parking space, nobody in the waiting hall, none of the soldiers at the counter, but slowly, slowly some more applicants arrived ( 7). The soldiers took their time before they letting these people in. A tall soldier was screaming (mostly in Hebrew) at the people and at me. Because I did not understand a word, he could not hit me.
When somebody on the soldiers side was occupied in some way with the 7 clients, another two applicants came. One of them was a beautiful young woman, who told us, that she had to see a specialist at the St. Josef's Hospital in Jerusalem for expert advice regarding her health problems.
The soldiers let her wait about half an hour. I called them twice. First time whoever answered the telephone disconnected when he heard my introduction "here is ……… from Machsom Watch". At my second attempt the line was busy. After half an hour the young lady was let in. We left and returned to Jerusalem via Checkpoint Har Homa, where cars were passing slowly.
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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