Bethlehem and vicinity, Wednesday PM, 13.7.05. Observers: Ronit S., Daniela G. (reporting)Etzion DCO – 15:30: 7-8 people waiting in the shed and outside it. Both fans are on. A man with his request “denied by the GSS” was shown the notice in Arabic explaining what to write to whom, but he seemed to desire some other kind of intervention for he never bothered to write anything down. Another young man, presumably a collaborator, proudly shows us his 3-month permit. He points to a third person roaming around, waiting to be “arrested”. Following the jailing of his two colleagues, he has come forth admitting he too had been engaged in preparing explosives hoping to prevent the demolishing of his house. Our main goal was to make sure a young father obtained a permit for his wife. Their one-year old son is to undergo heart surgery tomorrow at Wolfson Hospital. The man himself already has a 3-week permit and Yael from MW, who called Dalia Bassa on his behalf, told him he could come pick up his wife’s permit at 15:30. Though we had to wait till 16:30, it was worth rejoicing with him when he finally got it.Bet Jalla CP – 16:45: Very little traffic in both directions and it flows.Bethlehem CP 300 – 17:00: Almost no traffic at all. Instead, there is an abundance of soldiers. We enter into an affable conversation with one BP who wants to know what we are about and is dismayed by our sex discrimination, i.e. the fact that we are only women. He was soon joined by two other BP, one of them much less amiable claiming there is no occupation at all. A detainee stands by. He was caught making “illegal entry” into Jerusalem while driving an Israeli car, and is waiting for the verdict of the interrogating officer. He says he has been there for 6 hours and is dying of thirst. Though he is strictly forbidden to leave the premises, all three BPs magnanimously consent to his accompanying us to our car in order to fetch a bottle of water.