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Bethlehem, Fri 5.8.11, Morning

Place: Bethlehem (300)
Tags: Ramadan
Observers: Ephrat B., Claire Oren
Aug-05-2011
| Morning

 

First Friday of Ramadan

Bethlehem– Checkpoint 300 (the Israeli side):  very many crossing: the men, inside the checkpoint as usual (3 stations open to begin with, then 4 and 5); women cross around to the passage for vehicles.

An international activist was on the Palestinian side earlier, and reports that the entire crossing takes no more than 15 minutes for the men, even less for the women.

According to earlier reports (and that indeed was how the stationed soldiers performed): men over 50 and women over 45 may cross without permits, as well as children up to the age of 12.  All the rest require permits.

In the case of one fairly young man with a permit, the computer screen was red and the female soldier informs him that he is forbidden to cross.

Most of the time human traffic streams and the behaviour of the soldiers is exemplary. Towards the end of the shift, the female soldier in station 2 starts to yell at the Palestinians to move back and cross "one by one".

General impression: this year proper preparations were made for Ramadan. Let us hope that for the rest of the month, and thereafter, people will be able to cross rapidly…

  • 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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