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Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Tue 30.12.08, Afternoon

Place: Bethlehem (300) Etzion DCO
Tags: Detainees
Observers: Shlomit S., Yael S. (reporting)
Dec-30-2008
| Afternoon

Etzion DCL: when we arrived before 02:00, because of the war in Gaza we were afraid that there would be many people and a lot of disorder. We found 8 persons who were waiting for an interrogation by the secret service.

“Today hardly any people came, maybe thirty” explains a young man who waits for his friend who is inside the compound.

“How do the Palestinians explain this emptiness in the DCL’s ?” the officer from the DCL in Beth-El asked me.

Also the Giloh passage is empty. We met police officers who are in charge of the passage: “Normal routine” they said; at this time there is nobody at the passage. In the morning everything flows as usual, all the workers from here pass – so they say.

We asked about the pressure of the controllers and about the medical crews and the humanitarian passage that is not working .

“The passage is not built and not intended for a number of 3000 persons all at once” ( 5 in the morning). Certainly not 10,000 or 100,000.

“I don’t know who passed, whether it is a medical surgeon or a streetcleaner, all stand in the same line”.

 

So I don’t know what the answer is of those Palestinians who come to the DCL to receive magnetic cards when there is a general strike, and why they continue to come to work.

Maybe because they have children who need to eat? Maybe because they want to live?

      

  • 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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