Bethlehem and surroundings, Thursday, 30.3.2006, MorningObservers: Aviva V. Neta A. Tamar A. (reporting) Shift: 7:00 – 10:00CP – 300 (new), 7:05 – 7:30: Traffic was sparse of both pedestrians and cars. One CP was open for pedestrians. A teacher who arrived from Bethlehem said that yesterday she was not allow to go through, but today she was allowed. A doctor from St.-Jon hospital in East Jerusalem said that he had no problems going through even if there was a closure, because of his doctor’s certificate. He told us that the hospital opened a branch in Hebron because people have difficulties in getting to Jerusalem. Tunnels road: A B.P. jeep stood in front of the first tunnel and checked cars going in the direction of the Jerusalem. Near the Tunnel CP the construction site was growing and low cement blocks separated it from the road. Road 60 junction to road 375 (to Betar-Eilit) – 7:40: Blue directed the traffic. Ezyon DCO – 7:55: the place is still closed. One person was waiting probably for a meeting with the GSS; two others arrived with papers and turned to the soldiers at the gate. Ezyon junction – 8:00 – 8:15: We drove east. After a few hundred meters of pine trees the settlement Migdal-Oz appeared on the left, locked behind an iron gate. A bit behind it, on the right side, was the entrance to Beit-Fagar. At first we went by a quarry and by stone work factories. Behind them were the village houses, among them a few villas, which went a long way to the east. We went on up to the central plaza. It seemed as though the conquest of and the Israelis did not reach this point. But the map told us that the wall will go between Migdal-Oz and Bet-Fagar, exactly by the entrance to the village and will disconnect it from the road going to Gush-Ezyon junction El-Aarov refugee camp – 8:20: .A military jeep stood between the two entrances, two soldiers were walking at the northern entrance. Beit Omar – 8:20 – 8:30: The CP at the village entrance is unmanned. When we came back after a short while a military jeep entered the village. El-Aarov refugee camp – 8:35: A military jeep stood opposite the northern entrance. On the roof was a soldier with his gun pointed towards the road. Gush-Ezyon CP – 8:40: Manned only to the north, no cars being checked. Al-Hader – 8:50 – 9:40: As we got there a military jeep went down the hill towards the entrance of the cabs’ parking lot. Lots of traffic. A cab driver came over to us and told us that the blue police gave 500shekel fine because he drove on a road which was not part of the cab line in which he was listed (it is the first time that we heard about such fixed lines). The policeman took his driver’s license and said that he will give it back when he pays the fine. Meanwhile the driver sent a friend to pay the fine at the bank and asked us to wait until his friend and the policeman come back. The payment was made, but there was no way of knowing when and if the policeman will return. We gave the driver Haya’s number, and left. Wallage CP – 10:02: About 8 unemployed soldiers.