Bethlehem, Mon 23.6.08, Afternoon
15:30 – 17:30 PM, Bethlehem CP 300: We passed through the Liberman road checkpoint and continued onwards to the DCO, which was empty.
Both the Pillboxes at the entrances to Ein-Arov and Beit Omar were manned.
At the Tunnel Road traffic was flowing as usual.
CP 300 is as crowded as usual at this time, but it seemed like people were getting by as usual. Traffic slows down when people start coming from Bethlehem and one booth has to be turned over to traffic coming from the other direction. At one point it became very crowded and the line stretched almost all the way to the sidewalk. We tried phoning, but of course did not get any answer. An officer who came out tried to offer a smart assed answer, but then ordered another booth to be opened and the line was quickly eliminated.
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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