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Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Wed 5.8.09, Morning

Observers: Drora P, Irit S (reporting)
Aug-05-2009
| Morning

08:00 – not to big a group waiting at the DCO. The gates open. The turnstiles open after 10 minutes. Few people are let in. The others get "education." "Till everyone sits down, no one enters," "don't sit on the steps." Entry is very slow and the treatment long. One of the workers who came to get a renewed document is not allowed to enter: in answer to our question, it becomes clear that he is being punished because he laughed when told to get off the steps, and didn't move quickly. After waiting long enough, they let him in.

Another man was looking for a policeman. According to the soldier in the window, there is no policeman today and no one knows when there will be. The soldier in the window speaks a little Arabic and doesn't always understand, so there are misunderstandings. By the time we left, at 11:00, everyone had passed

As usual, impossible without any problems. A woman approached us after requesting an entry permit for her brother who was called to Hadassa for post operative treatment (apparently with infections following the operation). She held a letter from a doctor in Hadassa explaining the need for the man to come to the hospital. The problem was that the letter was not on official Hadassa stationery, and therefore – no permit. All our attempts to talk to the powers that be were fruitless. After two hours of phoning and attempts to get a letter from Hadassa on official paper, during which our partner reached the deputy director of the hospital, the letter was written "officially:" and the matter arranged…

  • 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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