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Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Wed 27.2.08, Morning

Observers: Rachel M, Drora P, Orah A (reporting) , Yosef, driver
Feb-27-2008
| Morning


 

06.45   Bethlehem : Five positions open, and long queues.   The inspection time

    is reasonable, but nevertheless people wait for a long time.   We are told that 1,700 Palestinians entered the checkpoint premises when it opened this morning.   We phone to ask for another inspection station to be opened, but by the time we left this had not been done. 

07.25 El Nashnash :   No-one approaches us for help 

    Nebeh Yunis :   Three people are already waiting for us.   They sign powers-of attorney for us to submit high-court petitions in their name.   A young man shows us a summons for him to appear in court on 5.11.07, which was delivered to him on 12.2.08.   The case was brought to court on 9.12.07.   We saw a similar example of late delivery last week.   Another young person was operated on in Israel and suffered damage.  He doesn’t have a permit to enter Israel and therefore cannot sue the doctor who operated on him.  We refer him to the Doctors for Human Rights organization, 

08.30  Etzion DCL :  The Hall is empty.   There is no soldier by the counter.   The

       policeman is, for a change, in his place and answers the telephone, but when I

       announce myself to him he refuses to speak to me. 

    Above the benches there hangs a sign in Hebrew and Arabic which says

    “ Sometimes you have to wait, and this is because the person before you is receiving all the attention that is due to him.   When your turn arrives we shall be honored to give you the same respect”. 

    This sign is astounding in its hypocrisy to all the many people who have had to wait in this hall for long hours while no-one could be bothered to tell him when he would eventually be attended to, and who were also subjected to the contemptuous and insulting attitudes of the staff. 

    Maybe the person who composed the sign was trying to mimic George Orwell . . .  

  • 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.
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