Bethlehem. Monday PM, 17.9.07 Observers: Yael I. and Ilana D. (reporting) From 2:00 till 5:00 PMAfter we had had a worrying telephone call from our elderly friend A. we decided to go and see him unannounced at home in Wallaje. He is desperate to ‘go out’, is in possession of a magnetic card, but has no work permit. In the past he was a contractor who worked with some of the well known architects in Jerusalem. His sons had been working until the holiday. Since it was Ramadan we refused to eat and drink, but instead were showered with figs, grapes and walnuts from the garden to take home. The preparations for the construction of the wall between Wallaje and Har Gilo are taking shape and gigantic caterpillars and other monsters move huge amounts of earth, which are amassed in what looks like a towering pyramid. When we arrived at CP 300 three windows were manned and the flow was steady. However as more people started to arrive one of the windows was closed (was it getting close to the end of the fast day?). From one of the (small) buses, which arrived, we saw about 50 workers getting off, hurrying to get home. We were amazed that the curfew unlike in previous years had been lifted after Rosh Hashanah and not been extended till after Yom Kippur or beyond, until we realized that Ms. C. Rice is arriving tomorrow from Washington and Israel has to make a ‘good impression’. We are afraid that after her departure things will be back to ‘normal’ again. Since no shift had been scheduled for Abu Dis we decided to continue to Sheikh Sa’ad.