Back to reports search page
Nuaman: We drove to the CP hoping to be able to see the Mukhtar and ask him how we can be of assistance. We saw a herd of sheep grazing the thistles in the middle of the traffic circle just beyond the CP. The Mukhtar was not home and we promised to return later.
Back in Nuaman we were invited (with cold water and coffee) into the large living room of the Mukhtar, Youssef Darauwe. He was expecting Lea Tsemel and some men had already convened for a meeting with her. He explained to us the difficult situation of the village with its 25 families (around 400 people) who do not want to budge from their land. Some of the houses obviously were there before 1967. The first inhabitants had lived in caves there. About a third of the inhabitants have blue Id's; their children can attend schools in Um Tuba. The others have to go to El-Has, a walk of about 3 km. At the CP they are sometimes harassed, although the situation has improved since cameras were installed. He requested we pay attention to the fact that girl soldiers and not men, check the women and asked for our presence at around 1:30 when the children return from school. Those studying within Jerusalem now have a bus. He said that about 40 of the inhabitants had completed University Studies, mostly in Abu Dis or Bethlehem. The work situation is difficult especially for those in possession of Palestinian Id's. The Mukhtar himself, married to an Israeli, has a permit, which has to be renewed every three months. He has good relations with the commander of the CP, but he is not always there when the soldiers misbehave. He related the story of a wedding between a girl from Nuaman and a boy from El Has, where the parents of the groom were not allowed to attend and enter Nuaman, whereupon in the middle of the ceremony, the bride and the entire entourage walked over to El Has. The whole world, every ambassador and journalist, knows of the plight of Nuaman, but no one does anything, he said.
Donate
Bethlehem, Nuaman, Mon 14.4.08, Afternoon
Place:
Bethlehem (300)
Nu'man (Mazmuria)
Observers: Yael I., Ruth O, Orit Y., Ilana D. (reporting)
From 3:00 till 6:30 PM
Nuaman: We drove to the CP hoping to be able to see the Mukhtar and ask him how we can be of assistance. We saw a herd of sheep grazing the thistles in the middle of the traffic circle just beyond the CP. The Mukhtar was not home and we promised to return later.
On this boiling hot Hamsin day it was nice and cool inside the Rachel Terminal at 4:00 PM; five windows were open and hardly any people waiting. Two yellow roses were blooming in the garden outside. A group of Polish tourists exited. The civil security guard checked their passports next to the turnstiles. Ten minutes later the crowds came running in, but the wait was short and apparently this is the pattern most of the days. However, when we asked how long the wait in the morning had been we were told that it was two hours. With more groups (more Polish and Brazilian tourists) coming in, the guard in charge of order again decided to check passports rather than put workers in straight lines and the queues moved smoothly nevertheless.
In the metal shack, 100 yards further north, ten detainees caught in Gilo, had been waiting for four hours to be investigated prior to their being sent back home or to prison. As we were observing the Border Police (BP) soldiers completing their forms another vehicle with four or five detainees dropped off the yield of its hunt for the day. The investigator came to see how things proceeded outside where the forms were completed. We asked for water, it looked yellowish and some men refused to drink it.
Back in Nuaman we were invited (with cold water and coffee) into the large living room of the Mukhtar, Youssef Darauwe. He was expecting Lea Tsemel and some men had already convened for a meeting with her. He explained to us the difficult situation of the village with its 25 families (around 400 people) who do not want to budge from their land. Some of the houses obviously were there before 1967. The first inhabitants had lived in caves there. About a third of the inhabitants have blue Id's; their children can attend schools in Um Tuba. The others have to go to El-Has, a walk of about 3 km. At the CP they are sometimes harassed, although the situation has improved since cameras were installed. He requested we pay attention to the fact that girl soldiers and not men, check the women and asked for our presence at around 1:30 when the children return from school. Those studying within Jerusalem now have a bus. He said that about 40 of the inhabitants had completed University Studies, mostly in Abu Dis or Bethlehem. The work situation is difficult especially for those in possession of Palestinian Id's. The Mukhtar himself, married to an Israeli, has a permit, which has to be renewed every three months. He has good relations with the commander of the CP, but he is not always there when the soldiers misbehave. He related the story of a wedding between a girl from Nuaman and a boy from El Has, where the parents of the groom were not allowed to attend and enter Nuaman, whereupon in the middle of the ceremony, the bride and the entire entourage walked over to El Has. The whole world, every ambassador and journalist, knows of the plight of Nuaman, but no one does anything, he said.
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 .
-
Nu'man (Mazmuria)
See all reports for this place-
situated on the Wall route as part of "Jerusalem Envelope," in its southeastern stretch, east of Zur Baher, Um Tuba and the small Nuaman Village, on Beit Sahur road, the checkpoint will serve as the main crossing for commercial goods from the southern West Bank to Jerusalem.
-