Bethlehem. Monday PM, 26.3.07 Observers: Ruth O. and Ilana D. (reporting) From 3:00 till 6:15 PMDCL Etzion, Al Aroub and Rachel TerminalBetween the two tunnels part of the ‘slanted’ wall has been already erected. The CP beyond the tunnels looked even larger than before and the amount of heavy equipment where the Al Khadr tunnel is being completed is overwhelming. At the Etzion DCL renovation work is continuing apace (the old toilets have not yet been moved, but are not working/smelling). We counted sixteen vehicles and wondered where the drivers were until we moved around the new construction and found everyone huddled in front of the turnstiles trying to get some shelter from the icy cold wind. People had not been let in for the last half hour. The complaints were loud and angry. None of the numbers we called were available and we only left messages, but after half an hour there was some movement. The father of an 18-year old girl who had been beaten up by a soldier had been back and forth a number of times attempting to get a permit to attend the session at the police investigation tomorrow to which his daughter had been invited. B’Tselem had filed a complaint in their behalf. The girl refuses categorically to go there without being accompanied by her father. She is now afraid to go to school alone and has been very traumatized. We called the Moked and B’Tselem (Hanna Barag helped too) and finally the man was allowed inside. He was told to return in the morning where he would be told to wait until 12:00 (the session is at 10:00 AM), because he had tried to ‘go over their head’. The commander was called and he was told to wait a little longer. He did and again was told to return in the morning. He would contact B’Tselem and us if at 8:00 AM his permit would not be ready.A man came on behalf of his blind 54-year-old brother who has to undergo an operation in St. John’s Hospital tomorrow and had been back and forth a couple of times too. Finally his wife entered with the documents and was refused on security grounds. He told us that it is not the first time he has to carry him at 2:00 AM across the mountains to reach the hospital for lack of a permit. Dalia Bassa was called and not available, but after a while returned out call and will try to help. A woman came to try and get a permit for her son to go to the American Consulate. The boy wants to study in the States (his brother studies in Germany), but was shot at age 13 and although he has no trouble to move around in the territories is never allowed into Israel. A man told us that his brother had been jolted at the beginning of the intifada by a hand grenade and is since refused a magnetic card. He was referred to Sylvia. We drove to Al Aroub and found a jeep under the pillbox and more concrete slabs. A hummer was stationed across the second entrance to the village across the yellow gate. No detainees. RAchel’s Pass:From the road we saw the long line of people waiting to get back into Bethlehem and were about to call, when the line started moving even before we entered the ‘freezing’ terminal. We have not been as cold during all our stints this winter as we were today. Three windows were operating and the people were pleased, since yesterday there had been only one. Tourists from Bethlehem (amongst whom British short-sleeved soccer fans in shorts) exited through a separate lane.