Bethlehem. Wednesday AM 28-12-05 Observers: Ruth O., Yael Y. and Ilana D. (reporting) From 6:00 till 10:00 AMUm Tuba, CP 300, Al Khadr, Al Aroub, DCL Etzion, Beit JallaWe went to look for Border Police in and around Um Tuba (following Gideon Levy’s article) and only found workers waiting for transportation, but no army presence whatsoever. At the Rachel Crossing (CP 300) we were ‘allowed’ to observe where Palestinians exit into Jerusalem after having been through the via dolorosa of checks (double-checks) and bodily searches. Of course we only ‘observed’ the legals with equipped with proper papers such as a doctor who toldus that crossing the CP may take an hour and a half. There was a rolling CP at the end of the Tunnel Road for those entering Jerusalem (the regular Tunnel CP apparently had not been sufficient). We took the car up left at the entrance to Al Khadr to visit the Secondary School for Girls. A tall netted fence has been put up to prevent any future stone throwing and the Pill Box was moved. We parked across the entrance of the school and an army jeep approached later. We were asked whether we had come via the ‘military road’ and the soldiers didn’t seem to mind. The schoolyard slowly filled with girls, most had their heads in a book while walking around (it was mid-term exam day), the others were most curious re our presence. The Principal greeted us with warmth as usual and told us that the Pill Box first had been moved to a strategic spot looking straight into the girls’ toilets, but then was moved a little further away, after she had complained. It was freezing cold and there is no heat in the classrooms. The teachers walked around with hot glasses of tea (we got some too) before entering their classrooms. Ruth, as a former high-school principal, was particularly interested and remarked how quiet and serene the atmosphere appeared. There are 585 students from grade 6 till grade 12. Most aim for matriculation exams and about 60% succeed. Motivation to study is very high: “You see,” mentioned the Principal, “There is no work, so the children have to learn.” They pay a 70 Sh. fee annually, but if they fail in more than one subject in their final exams and want to remain an extra year in school they have to pay 400 Sh., which is very expensive.We proceeded to Abu Nassim in Beit Ummar with Haya’s documents and on the way back noticed that soldiers were putting up the same kind of anti-rock tall chicken wire fence at Al Aroub as we had already seen above Road 60 behind the schools in Al- Khadr. At the Ezyon DCL there were not many people, mostly young men waiting for an ‘interview’ with the Security Services, one somewhat older man who had been returned from the Allenby Bridge on his way to Saudi Arabia. Another man had been told to find out in Beit El what had happened to his permit, which had not arrived, but in Beit El he was told to return to Ezyon. Meanwhile his magnetic card had lapsed yesterday and he was told to ‘sit and wait’. The earthmoving at the entrance to Beit Jalla is continuing apace, the Beit Jalla DCO CP was not manned and the rolling CP at the end of the Tunnel road had moved from East to West checking vehicles entering the territories.