Bethlehem, Etzion DCL

7:00m, Checkpoint 300 – Bethlehem:  2305 people have crossed according to the EAPPI reporters. The crossing is almost fully finished. The Palestinians congratulated us (!) on a successful morning.

8:10 , Etzion DCL:  the door to the waiting room opened only at 8:20. There are many people, at least 50-60, and the pressure is high. No one has patience on this hot morning. There are a lot of questions, in particular to Sylvia. We meet several people for whom we have prepared documents and the petition to free them from the blacklist.

9:30 am.We go up to meet an old friend. He is a psychologist and the director of an institute for disturbed children in the West Bank. He was able to come with the children on a day of excursions once a year for several years, and he is getting ready to do it again with the whole institute in the near future. He arrives at our meeting point with a lady who is representing an American charitable organization which is part of the Franciscan Sisters. They support the institute. There is a very beautiful cooperation between the two public bodies. The woman in question has a permit (visa ) for three months and she is only allowed to enter Israel through Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300. When she crosses into Israel, if by bus, the whole group has to descend from the bus and go through the turnstiles and the narrow passageways. In Israel itself she is free to come and go where she fancies.

The lady tells us about the latest technical wonders: Flip Video and Teleconference home units. They are produced by Cisco and California and she works there. She offers us (MW) a special price for these tools. Anyone out there interested?