Observation of closures in Southeastern Jerusalem
.From 7:00 till 9:00 AM
Our shift consisted of inspecting various roads leading in and out of Arab neighborhoods within the city limits. We were late to arrive at CP 300 and noted that most workers had already passed. Along the Lieberman Road underneath Har Shmuel (Har Homa) we noted that all entrances to Umm Tuba had been closed by concrete cubes which can be passed on foot. Soldiers, a chemical toilet and a kind of plastic gazebo were at the main entrance road; only a few cars passed in both directions. None were held up. At the northern entrance of Sur Baher we entered as far as the schools. It was close to 08:00 and the place was full of cars which were parked all over and made turning difficult. Further down was another school with a proper gate and police guards – probably for Jewish children. We drove along Talpiyoth Mizrach (Armon Hanatziv) and there too we saw that only one opening had been left for cars and the rest can be crossed without difficulty on foot. Ackerstein must have done a brisk business supplying all those concrete blocks. We crossed the Oz camp and went to Nof Zion. At the bottom we looked at the various roads and their closures along the Road of the Americas from above. The car in front of us was checked when we returned via the Oz CP. There were no closures in Abu Tor, we entered via Naomi Street and exited from Ein Rogel. On the way we missed the road to the new Jewish settlement in Abu Tor, but we will inspect it next time. Apparently more road blocks have meanwhile been removed and it doesn’t look as if there is any ‘work’ for us among the southeastern closures. Maybe we should concentrate on ‘Anata and Issawiye.
Bethlehem (300)
See all reports for this place-
Located adjacent to the Separation Wall ("Jerusalem Wrap") at the north entrance to Bethlehem, this checkpoint cuts off Bethlehem and the entire West Bank from East Jerusalem, with all the serious implications for health services, trade, education, work and the fabric of life. The checkpoint is manned by the Border police and private security companies. It is an extensive infrastructure barrier and is designated as a border terminal, open 24 hours a day for foreign tourists. Israeli passport holders are not allowed to pass to Bethlehem, and Palestinian residents are not allowed to enter Jerusalem, except those with entry permits to Israel and East Jerusalem residents. Israeli buses are allowed to travel to Bethlehem only through this checkpoint.The checkpoint, which demonstrated harsh conditions of crowding and extreme passage delays for years, started employing advanced electronic identification posts and has upgraded its gates' system as of the middle of 2019 - and conditions improved.Adjacent to the checkpoint, in an enclosure between high walls and another passage, is the historic Rachel's Tomb, which is now embedded within a concrete fortified building. It contains prayer and study complexes for Jews only, as well as a residential complex. updated November 2019 .
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