Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Tue 23.3.10, Morning

06:40 am, Bethlehem =Checkpoint 300: according to the number outside,it was difficult to judge the rate of exit based on the worker’s comments – thetraffic was slow and people were waiting a long time.

Inside, five stations werefunctioning, but waiting for people and transit was in slow spurts. There wereno shouts from the inner examination room, from which we learnt that the blockwas outside, to where we have no access.

One of the transients contendedthat the area around the first entrance is Area C. If that is indeed true, theneverything done there, the fences and the lines, are under IDF jurisdiction.And the army can, must, find solutions to all the problems that are createdeach morning.

The following case points to thedemand for additional and greater efficiency at the checkpoint, which if givenwill prevent problems and runaround. A woman came to the checkpoint with hertwo small children. From the other side, her husband, who is an Israeliresident in Jerusalem,arrived. The woman had an appointment with a doctor for this morning, but whenthey arrived at the checkpoint it became clear that her transit pass was givenfor the next day. The suggestion was that she should return to DCL Hebron toreceive another pass. Travel there and back would cancel the time of theappointment. It was explained to us that it was not possible to let her crossbecause if she met up with an agent of the law in Israel, she would be considered“illegal.” There were no means at the checkpoint to make an official correctionto this kind of mistake. And she went back the way she came. A person who has Authority forchanges in a transit area would resolve problems such as this.

08:15 am, Etzion DCL: a man approached and told usthat he had come on Sunday to renew a magnetic card and was sent away with arecommendation to come back on Tuesday, but when he came on Tuesday he was toldto come on Sunday because that was the day assigned to the Elhader group. Hewas angry, nervous and helpless. A phone call to the Humanitarian Centre solvedthe problem and meant we finished the day having done something.