Etzion DCL

10:15 seven cars were waiting in the parking lot. The passengers were probably let in since there were only two youngsters waiting in the hall. According to them, they were summoned to a meeting with GSS. When they arrived their identity cards were taken away and they were told to wait. They have been waiting for hours.

At 10:20 a young girl came out and said it is the third time she came to renew her magnetic card. The other times she was not let in because there was a large crowd and the place closed before her turn arrived. Today, when she entered, they told her that in order to renew the card she has to bring stamps. Since you can’t buy stamps here, she plans to go buy them in Bethlehem, come back, get in, and renew the card. If she’ll manage to come back before closing time she won’t have to come for the fourth time.

A woman who came out afterward will have to come back. They told her to return next week.

An elderly man came out and said he has a work permit for Israel that was renewed a short time ago and is valid until January 2016. This morning, when he arrived at the checkpoint they did not let him pass and didn’t explain why. He came to DCL to meet the policeman and find out the cause, but the policeman, who is supposed to be here until 12:00, was not here. We gave him the phone numbers of Haya and Sylvia and advised him to try and meet the policeman on Sunday.

We met M. a member of the family whose car was targeted a few years ago with a Molotov cocktail. The father was hit hard in the face and eyes, and since then is unable to return to work. To date they haven’t caught the perpetrator who threw the Molotov cocktail. M. tries to work and help support the family, but is having trouble finding work. In the last two weeks he hasn’t worked a single day. This morning, when looking for work in Israel, a man approached him and offered him three hours of work at 60 shekels, i.e. 20 NIS per hour. Less than the minimum wage. M. Agreed. "I agreed," he said, "because I thought it was better than nothing. I worked for three hours and when I came for the 60 NIS the man said: ‘I have no money now. Come back tomorrow!’ and walked away”. M. added he doesn’t know the man's name, an Arab, or his address or any other detail that will help to find him.

Close to 12.00, before the end of reception hours, the woman who went to buy stamps returned and was let inside.

At 12:00 they returned the ID cards to the 2 young people who were summoned to a meeting with GSS and they were sent home. They were not told why they had to wait for so many hours and why they decided to send them away.

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