Bethlehem and vicinity: Noamman, Tuesday 8.5.07, AMObservers: Hana B, Tamar A (reporting) We parked the car by the bulldozers that any minute, were supposed to continue paving the road from Tko’a to Nokdim. It isn’t easy to climb the steep path that starts from the construction site and heads up to Noamman. About 15 people separated in to three groups were walking to our direction- those were Nuamman residents on their way to work at Jerusalem. The village was more pastoral there ever. It was the time of harvest. The stacks of hay were lying in the fields. A herd of sheep passed by the houses heading to the pasture. From time to time they managed getting to the hills surrounding. On this day they were stuck, as were their owners, between the iron blockage that closes the way to Jerusalem and the blockage that closes their way to the west bank. And as opposed to their owners, once they pass to the west bank they won’t be permitted to return, since it’s not allowed to let animals from occupied territories into Israeli land. All they have left are the fields around the houses. Only four children were making their way to their school at El Ha’s. We later learned that there was a strike at the Palestinian educational system. In fact, each pedestrian now must make his way through the soldiers shed- such a construction that when you stand outside you can’t see what is going on inside- and a turnstile. There was a sign saying “Entrance”. But on this morning the children were spared this frightful experience and they passed through the car lane. An old man with his donkey making his way back to Nuaman also pass through this lane. The opening and closing of this gate was “self service”. None of the soldiers or security men bothered to deal with it.But that obviously doesn’t mean that anyone who arrived there was permitted to enter. A couple with their child passed through the shed and the turnstiles without any problems. When we sat down a security man came to us and said that for our own good we better not be there. Since we didn’t make a move he went to the BP soldier at the checkpoint, but the solider was all rapped up in a praying shawl, probably in the midst of his “Matins”. When we were about to leave a jeep with an officer and a BP soldier arrived- was it sent there because of us? – They also asked us to leave, for our own safety, but once they understood we were from Mashsom Watch, they left us alone.