Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300, 6:45 am:   five stations open for checking. Only a trickle of people are going through the turnstile. Never have we heard such complaints. We call to Hamal and ask for help. Our calls to the soldier from the DCL go unanswered.  Still many, many people complain to us as we stand there. 

About 7:10a policeman comes out to the area where we stand. He immediately comes over to say hello.  And so, of course, we tell him about the complaints. His answer is that everything is OK. He sees it on camera. There is nothing that we can say that will change his mind or that will cause him to go to the entrance to see what the situation is. No way.  One man's permit has been taken from him by the girl soldier who is checking. We call for help, but no one answers the phone. 

Finally, at 7:37  we go to the Etzion DCL.  People still say there are many waiting to come into Jerusalem.

Etzion DCL, 7:55 am:  at 8:05 the jeep comes out with the soldiers to open up.  There are about 30 people waiting for a magnetic card. The soldiers display a friendly attitude to those waiting, answering questions with patience. The men have made their own list for entering. At 8:25 I call to see why they have not yet been invited in. I am told that there was trouble with a carousel. Now that it has been fixed, the people will be invited in.  And so they were immediately asked to enter.

On the way home the telephone rings and it is the DCL soldier calling to see what we wanted. He said he was too busy to answer earlier.