Bethlehem, Fri 28.8.09, Morning
First Friday of Ramadan
When we arrived at 10:15 six crossing points were open. The queues were rather long but traffic was flowing. One of the four EPPI present told us it took about 40 minutes to cross from the Palestinian side and that counter number 3 is extremely slow, probably on account of the woman soldier stationed there.
A mother with her four young ones was really stressed. Her baby son and spouse hadn't crossed yet. One of the policemen asked his uncle who works with the Security Company, and the husband was located on the Palestinian side and his crossing was hurried up to our request.
The queues shortened from 11:00 AM on, but the number of operative counters dwindled respectively. At about noon the traffic was really slow and the crossing was about to close.
At 11:45 a delegation of high BP officers arrived from the Palestinian side. They said that the crossing is smooth and that was our impression too but we of course, from our side, saw only those allowed through. A 43 year old man made it to our side and said that he did not understand why he was forbidden to cross over. In reply to Ora's call to the humanitarian line, his age seemed to be the problem. "When I'm 45 they'll change the rule to 50", he said.
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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