Bethlehem, Fri 4.7.08, Morning
9:10 –10:10 AM, Bethlehem Checkpoint: Today things were better in comparison to the awful situation that has been prevailing recently: two booths were constantly open, there was no line and there were no shouting and humiliation.
In two separate incidents people were sent back. They did not argue and we did not even have time to figure out if we needed to intervene. In one case a young, single woman arrived with a young boy of about 12 years old; she wanted to return him to his parents. She was told by the soldier that she couldn’t and the two left.
Some of the Palestinians told us that there are many people on the other side of the CP. They told us that a second booth was only opened at 10:00 despite the heavy traffic.
We were approached by a young ecumenical woman who told us that she was on vacation that day, but that they had people on the other side 4 times a week. She thought that the cooperation with Machsom Watch was very positive.
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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