Bethlehem. Tuesday PM, 13.6.2006 Observers: Ruth O. and Ilana D. (reporting) From 3:00 till 6:00 PMThe construction of the new terminal underneath Beit Jalla and of the Separation Wall at the old entrance to El Khadr is continuing apace guarded by Bedouin watchmen. At the new entrance we met with the teacher whose son had been apprehended and who had given us clothes for him. He has a lawyer and today his fate will be sealed. The lawyer thought he might get 18 months for illegal entry into Israel and pushing a soldier – the father is extremely worried. His three older sons are all in prison and he has not been paid a salary for the last four months. The cabdrivers have a kind of clubhouse where they watch TV (the World Cup games cost no money) and chat. One of them constantly smiles and gets kicked by soldiers all the time, because he cannot look seriouse. At the Container CP, as soon as our women leave, people are made to stand for an hour in the sun with their arms up. Near Anata the wait is sometimes three hours. They had just watched the latest assassination in Gaza on TV and told us about it. They complained about the height of the fines and their inability to get permission to work in Israel. They asked for Sylvia’s and Haya’s phone numbers.The fans were not working in the waiting area of the Ezyon DCL and the stench from the open toilets, which we have to pass on our way in, penetrated all the way. A frustrated man told us he had been coming every morning for the last six days and still had not received his magnetic card. The people inside left after having been told to return in the morning, since the machine was (yet again) broken. Both Eyal and Amir were absent. A 34-year old man who is married to a woman in Abu Gosh and has not seen his children in two years was told to return after he turns 35. There is a new regulation that magnetic cards are not issued to anyone under the age of 35 and thus all younger men are turned away. At the entrance to Rachel’s Tomb another piece of wall is being constructed. The tractors are watched over by two Bedouin guards. At the Terminal only one window was open serving people from both sides. A fairly large group of people (more than thirty) waited to return to Bethlehem. At the side were about eight young workers waiting next to the line. They told us they worked in construction in Har Homa and had no permits. They said this is the only way they can get home, and suddenly all pushed their way through unchecked. Women were allowed to by-pass the queue without waiting in line. A group of Japanese tourists pushed through from the other side – an experience they certainly will no forget. Ronny was called and in no time another window was opened. Within minutes the waiting time was reduced to nil.