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Bethlehem, Fri 29.5.09, Morning

Place: Bethlehem (300)
Tags: Maltreatment
Observers: Claire A. (reporting)
May-29-2009
| Morning

 

Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300: though it is a Jewish holiday (Shavuoth), there is no closure for the Arabs. Not many Palestinians are passing, with no obvious problems. Three positions are open.

 

A very elderly couple come to the position, and the man explains that he is going to pray. Then the woman claims she is going to the Sick Fund clinic. The soldier is confused:

 

“But he says he is going to pray!”

“And I am going to the clinic.”

 

Finally he lets her pass too. Apparently he was contemplating whether the woman can go alone to the clinic, or perhaps they are all liars and they both want to pray – or not at all. Or perhaps he was reminded of his grandmother and let her pass.

 

Another absurd and frequent performance: a girl arrives from the Jerusalem side with her small brother. They are going to visit Grandma in Bethlehem. The little boy is equipped with a permit and is allowed to pass. She, on the other hand, has forgotten to bring Grandma’s electricity bill to prove that she does indeed have a grandmother there. The girl has to return the way she came…

 

  • 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   .
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