DCO Etzion, El-Hader, Sunday, 31.10.04, PMObservers: Daniel B., Judith S.(reporting)Etzion DCO 3pm : We found about 20 people standing next to the revolving door and to the counters. Most of them had a desperate expression on their face, with the kind of smile of someone who came and went, and came and went, and is still going to come and go again and again, without knowing why. And indeed, within a couple of minutes we heard different stories which have one thing in common – a complete lack of understanding as to why they are rejected for months and years instead of getting clear answers – are they denied for a reason? And if so, what is the reason?. There was a merchant whose goods are waiting in the Ashdod port; A businessman who can’t cash a cheque; A man who worked for years in a garage in Jerusalem and could carry on if he could only get a permit; And a young couple – the wife was offered an editing job in Jerusalem, but for years they don’t manage to get a magnetic card. They had already a meeting with the Shabak, and were told they are clean as a whistle, but nevertheless they are still rejected.Although none of the people today was a classical humanitarian case, the ongoing and senseless hustle made us ring Azhar, with the hope to understand what’s the way out of it, if at all. His immediate response: “Let them stay in Bethlehem” – is actually the ultimate explanation to everything that happens in the DCO. To our specific couple Azhar recommended to go back to the counter and apply again, but as they tried to do it, the soldier just closed the window in front of them and didn’t want to hear a word. They will indeed stay in Bethlehem. We left the DCO with a heavy feeling of frustration and with a kind of certainty that civil problems of this kind will never find a decent solution unless within the framework of a political agreement. El-Hader: we observed a BP jeep, whose soldiers were collecting the ID cards of everyone who passed in both directions. Lots of people were waiting, while the soldiers, under the command of an extremely enthusiastic soldier (one of those who know their own worth and the worth of what they are doing), continued investigating anything that moved. The piles of ID cards were getting higher and higher, and once in a while the IDs were sorted out – who will be sent away immediately, who will be written down and sent home and who will have to wait for an approval by phone.A short while after we arrived, on the other side of the jeep (which we couldn’t see), a small event took place. According to the soldiers, a young Palestinian refused to show his ID and attacked the soldiers; According to Palestinians who witnessed the situation, the guy was slapped on his face and asked the soldiers to stop. Since we didn’t see the event we don’t know what actually happened, but within minutes and with an enormous enthusiasm the guy was handcuffed, and the commander promised his soldier and everyone who was ready to listen that the guy will be arrested and accused of attacking a policeman. A man who later passed by said the guy is retarded and well known in the area. It was pretty clear that the thirst to “do justice” and to make the guy pay a heavy price for belittling the soldiers is insatiable. The detainees waited for a long time, while we had a conversation with one of the soldiers, untill it got dark. All ID cards were given back, the guy was put into the jeep and taken to arrest, and we left the place, hoping he won’t have to pay too much for his little revolt.