Back to reports search page
Donate
Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Tue 21.9.10, Afternoon
Place:
Bethlehem (300)
Etzion DCO
Observers: Yael L. J. (reporting) Avital F. (driving)
14.30 till 17.00 PM, Etzion DCL
General remarks: On the following day the Succot holiday starts, with a week long closure of all the checkpointsto Israel. Today we are only visiting Etzion DCL.
We arrived at 15.30 PM. Six cars withPalestinian numbers parked in the parking lot. Before the open door of the waiting hall stood 8 men and a Muslim woman. Some men told us that mostof them were waiting for a renewal of their magnetic cards. They werefrom Beit Sahour. One of them told us that there would be no chance to renew thecards during the Jewish holidays. So they were waiting now even it was nottheir day. One young man approached us and in fluent English told us thefollowing story:He was a medical student, learning at the medical colllege in Abu Dis.To attend the lectures he has to go to Abu Dis university by bus via checkpoint Wadi Nar. Afew days ago soldiers in Wadi Nar were picking him out of hisbus and told him that he had to appear at the Etzion DCL at 11.00 o'clock onSeptember 21, 2010. He came on time even though he missed important lectures at Abu Dis. Somebody (from Shabak?) took his ID ordering him to wait. This hedid until we came. We tried to get the attention of the soldier behind the turnstile (and thick glass) that the student is waiting to be served. The soldier called him in and sent him to an office around the house (Shabak?). Thestudent came back with his ID and a new summon for11:00 on October 4.Again a loss of a day at the university on which he was supposed to have important tests.
Bethlehem (300)
See all reports for this place-
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
See all reports for this place-
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.
-