Bethlehem and Surroundings (Nuaman) Tuesday, Jan. 31,06Observers: Yehudit E., Tamar A. (reporting)shift from 6:15-8:20 We meet a few workers and residents on their way to Jerusalem. From a distance we can see a jeep and two or three people on the security road at some distance from the passage from Mal Haas. Three women descend with us to the passage.7.00 – 7.40 Mizmorim–Mobile Checkpoint From a distance we thought there was no jeep today, but as we approached we realized that it was parked in the corner in such a way that it cannot be seen when approaching from Nuaman. The jeep is parked on the margin or the road with it’s front facing the separation fence while opposite it, at a distance of some meters with the back to the fence, there is a single detained Palestinian. He is from Yatta and tried to pass but had no luck and was caught. Meanwhile a bulldozer arrives from Beit Sahour and behind him a private car with Palestinian liscence plates. The driver speaks with the BP and is allowed to continue north on the security road. The officer from the jeep approaches us and asks us in a pleasant manner, “Are you on a hike?”. Unlike his collegue from Sunday, he doesn’t have a problem with us being here and he continues south on his patrol on the security road. A vehicle of a private security company remains on the spot. The Security Guard shouts across to the Palestinian workers who are waiting at El Haas for a chance to pass; “I don’t have a computer to check, wait for another 15 min. and the jeep will return and you can pass.” He explains to us, that , as we heard last week, that here entrance permits are not checked here–they check the IDs and if the man does not come up on the computer as a suspect and is not carrying suspicious tools with him he is allowed to pass. Meanwhile the Palestinian vehicle with the bulldozer returns. The driver tells the SEcurity Guard,” at 10:30 I shall return with the bulldozer, let me pass, ok?”–“No, come at 12:00” the Guard dictates the Palestinian contractor’s schedule. “OK”, he says, and then he says, “so call before you come”, “I’ll call”…”CAll, maybe you can pass at 10:30″… the Security Guard continues to explain to us that he believes that people should be allowed to make a living, and during the past months they allowed the residents of the village El Aarish to work in the paving of the security road without official work permits, but only with a verbal permission. In another week or two they shall start to build a new terminal that will be completed within a year. It will be larger than terminal 300, 900 meters long and 300 meters wide, and it will also serve as a passage terminal for merchandise; it will lead to “LIeberman’s Road” and will enable the settlers in Tekoa and NOkdim a short and rapid passage to JErusalem (and just yesterday I read in the papers that Lieberman is willing to leave Nokdim if the government will decide he should). So we shall be able to drive to the checkpoint as will the residents of Nuaman,if they have a permit to enter Jerusalem–perhaps they will get blue IDs, says the Security Guard–and then the can use the road. What about the olive trees on the side of the present road, on the the area that will in the future be the terminal? They will uproot the trees. the guard describes an idyllic picture: they will first ask the permission of the owners and then they will pay the owners compensation and then even they will bring the trees to a new place chosen by the owners! Meanwhile the BP jeep returns, the guard leave, and two Palestinians decend from El Hass to the jeep. And indeed their IDs are checked within one or two minuets, and they are allowed to pass. HOwever, the rest of the Palestinians who are waiting at El Haas are not convinced and remain above. The Jeep will not leave so fast because it has a flat tire. On the way back to Nuaman we have a ride with Yusef’s wife who has just brought another woman to the passage. She has a blue ID and the car has yellow liscence plates–but what to do, there is no way for vehicles to pass this way. Perhaps she will be able to use the Lieberman Road in the future?