Bethlehem 9/3/2004 Watchers: Nava A., S.S., Y.S. (reporting) Summary: Same shit. Closure. Encirclement. No hope. El-Khader. Swarming with yellow cabs; no place to park. We asked the Palestinians about the open checkpoints; they hadn’t heard of any change (the answer to the mystery later…) DCO Ezion. Empty. The sewage has stopped flowing, but water can be heard dripping from the empty women’s toilet. We had an interesting conversation with some people from Bethlehem. No emergencies, so we continued South. Route 60 South. No IDF presence. East of Halhul. No checkpoint. DCO Ezion. About 15 people. The mayor of El-Fajr complains that merchants with entry permit to Jerusalem were turned back at the checkpoints. There’s a clear IDF order: No entry to Jerusalem. Categorically. “So why did they give us the permits? Are they making fun of us?” Yes, they’re making fun of all of us. There are no vehicle permits for the territories either. The IDF declares: the closure has been lifted. A woman from Beit Jalla, mother of 7, with a sick husband, wants to work in Jerusalem taking care of an elderly couple. She has a letter from them to the DCO. The answer is negative. Let her fill up an application at the Employment Ministry in Jerusalem. We felt so sorry for her when she told us her tale of woe: the terrible poverty, the despair. We gave her a lift as close to her home as we could. A man is turned down because his ID card is outdated. “Where will I get the money?” he pleads. On our way out we’re approached by someone who needs a permit to go to Jerusalem.- Is it a medical matter? – No. An existential matter. – If you’re not actually sick, it’s a waste of time. Forget it. Nava did not like this aggressive attitude. She explained that we had spoken at length to several army personnel but were told that there’s no passage from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. None. No closure? On the way back we find out why the checkpoints had been dismantled. It didn’t happen today, nor yesterday. The announcement states that 15 checkpoints have been dismantled in the last 6 months. Some have turned into “Rolling Checkpoints” (Qalqilya for example) and others disappeared (for the time being, like Surda) S.S.’s mobile phone was taken from the car somewhere around the DCO.