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Bethlehem, Wed 22.7.09, Morning

Place: Bethlehem (300)
Observers: Dvora P., Idit S. (reporting)
Jul-22-2009
| Morning

06:15 AM, Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300:  the road from Gilo to the checkpoint  is flooded with workers on their way to work. At the checkpoint four positions are open and traffic is flowing.

07:30 AM – the checkpoint is empty, almost no transients.

The passers by report that passage time is quarter of an hour. At 06:30 it took half an hour.


We encountered two cases of refusals on the contention that they were Shabak blacklisted. One of them has been working for 20 years without problems, but this morning he was sent home. The woman soldier on the checkpoint doesn’t say why, only no passage. His attempts to clarify what he has to do – stayed unanswered.

When we tried to give him a phone number or talk to him, we were told not to interfere by Military Police officer – the same one drove Palestinians away while refusing to bring a DCL officer to clarify the complaints.

Seemingly everything is okay, but these two cases bring home the reality, the uncertainty and the endless dependence on the frame of mind of those in control of the passageways. There is always a security reason to change people’s lives.

   

  • 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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