Bethlehem, Friday 2.2.07Observers: Efrat B, Tirtza L (reporting) 9:00- BEthlehem Checkpoint 300The cab passengers who were waiting outside of the checkpoint told us to go inside because someone got injured from the signs that are placed across the side walk. We went in, there was a long line of people and we couldn’t see that end of it, there were dozens of people. Everyone was quiet. The line wasn’t moving. There was only one active lane. The soldier in the booth was on the phone. It appeared that there was an electric power interruption that caused the computers to collapse. She was trying to get some help. She told us that it all started only a couple of minutes before we arrived. Everyone was standing and waiting. After 40 minutes she started inspecting the people without the computer. It moved very slowly. The whole time we kept trying to get them to open more lanes- we asked the soldiers who were there, we call the humanitarian center, when finally we caught Roni, the checkpoint commander. He said he would check. Meanwhile a person who was on the other side and needed to get to Jerusalem came to talk to us. He said that his two children didn’t pass the inspections, he had a work permit and they didn’t. He showed us their birth certificate, one is 10 years old and the other is 13. We called Ronny and asked him to check it out. He spoke to the soldiers who were on the other side of the checkpoint- they didn’t allow them to pass (we know because we saw it, on some days they don’t allow children to pass even if their father has a work permit). The Palestinian was very sad, didn’t know what to tell his children, he wanted them to come and pray with him. He passed by himself. We headed to Beit Omar. No one came to us.