Bethlehem and surroundings, Nuaman, Thursday morning, 23.2.2006Observers: Judy S. Tamar A. (reporting)Natanya translating. 6.15 to 8.15On the road from Um Tuba to Nuaman we meet tens of workers passing on their way to work in Jerusalem and this time we received an explanation as to why in the last two weeks there have been more people. Since the checkpoint at Bethlehem has become the only point at which Palestinians from the southern part of the West bank can get to Jerusalem there are 100s of people waiting there each morning for hours and so some of them prefer to take the longer way through Beit Sahur and Nuaman.On the road from Nuaman to the West Bank that the state built after destroying the previous road when they built the fence are two signs as if concerning a normal between city road and dnot a road which ends at the one ended by a barricade and on which there is usually one car about every 15 minutes. The first a sign setting the speed limit at 30 kilometre and hour and added to that a traffic sign signaling a descent of 16 percent and written “Stay in low gear.” The second some metres after this shows a sharp bend together with the words “Slow. Sharp bend ahead.” There are more road signs on this road than cars because with them it is possible to overcome the blockages further along.A rolling checkpoint Mamoriyah:Next to the passage is a jeep with only one border policeman. He does not check the pupils who are passing or the cars but after going backwards and forwards a bit he stops next to us and claims that we are not allowed to be here because it is a military area and also a building site. When we demand to see this in writing he closes his window angrily , goes up and down the road to Nuaman at great speed and very noisily, disappears, returns, enters the village, passes us again noisily and disappears. The security guard whom we asked about the olive trees which had been cut down at the side of the road claims that the Palestinians themselves cut them down so as to allow new growth. In the case why were the trees which are dafke nearest the building site of the checkpoint cut down?