Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Tue 9.3.10, Afternoon
14.30 till 17.00 o'clock
15:15 PM, Etzion DCL: on the parking lot – 4 cars with Palestinian numbers. Five elder gentlemen in the waiting hall.
One is standing before the turnstile. He was telling me that he is very familiar with the rooms for investigation and the procedure. He and another man got called up. Three young men arrived , all in black t-shirts and with big crosses around their neck. Two of them were disappearing behind the turnstile. The third one told me, that his friends were invited to the Shabak, while he was just accompanying them.
16.10 PM, Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300: it is just rush hour for thePalestinians on their way home. A long queue before the entrance. Two young guards in black uniforms are dividing the queue in smaller groups which are allowed to get into the hall with the counters. There were four of them open.
As usual we were walking in looking for a place to stand for our observations. The guards were telling us in an unfriendly way that we were no longer allowed to stand inside the hall. There would be new regulations. We were complaining at an always polite officer from the blue police. He was apologizing for the inconvenience but confirming these new regulations.
Before we were leaving all of the people inside the hall ,were pushed out with us. The guards said there would be an incident. The iron door got closed. We were pressed together outside.
A (Christian) woman who made the way to Jerusalem at all working days , because she was working at a church , was telling us, that an 'incident' at this checkpoint could be that somebody had a forbidden object in his or her luggage. So it had happened a few days ago that a woman teacher had a knife with her "for peeling an apple". The soldiers took it away and everybody had to wait.
After about five minutes one half of the door got opened. People were streaming to the counters. But only half ofthe door was open, because the other half did not function. It could be opened only later.
At 16.45 the rush hour of the checkpoint was over, and we left.
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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