Etzion DCL

The radio was on full blast in the waiting room. It was impossible to sit there. Even when we sat in the car outside and Shlomit had phoned to ask that it should at least be turned down, no notice was taken. Why is there suddenly this innovation.....to make things even worse for the Palestinians?

One of the first things we noticed were two women speaking Hebrew. The one inside the exit from the offices and the other on the other side. The woman inside was in civilian dress. When asked if it was possible to know what was happening, the one inside was most aggressive and rude and refused to answer. When a man came who had a problem with the documents for his land and we asked if the department which dealt with land had been moved, she said it had nothing to do with her. It turned out that she was sitting outside to help the settlers who come to the DCO to find cheap labour. Why it is no longer in the area inside the compound is not clear. Anyhow, to them, sourpuss was MOST civil.

A very strange case was a man who said he had come to look for his son!. He said that his late father had found the baby somewhere...he himself did not remember the details and had brought the child home who had then grown up in the family. We do not know if he was officially adopted. But the previous night at 2a.m. the army had come and taken the man away and he had come to try to find out where he was. We gave  the phone numbers which could maybe help him. 

A man arrived in connection with his land, 92 dunam next to Efrat. He is evidently a thorn in their ass. He has been registered officially in Land Registry Office since 1935 and has now to register the document once more. He had been told to contact Uzi who did not tell him where he would be and was not answering the phone. Shlomit gave him another number and he was told that Uzi was today in Beit El. So, the man went home with empty hands.

Men arrived who had been burning electronic devices in the open air. So as to protect the health of the Palestinians, their car had been confiscated. What the one had to do with the other we do not know. But you don't need much reason to confiscate a Palestinian car. As they say in Afrikaans, if you want to hit a dog you can always find the stick.

Four men arrived who were looking for four of their relatives. Two of the men had been taken about a week or so ago. Evidently the two cases were connected but we do not know how. One was a Palestinian policeman. Sarcastically the Palestinian who was looking for them said...".and the Palestinian Authority does nothing about". We often hear this from people. But it seemed that they had come more to look for a boy of 11 who had been arrested with his father two days before. The reason....the young terrorist had been seen during the Ramadan festivities playing with a  toy pistol. Sounds strange. Unbelievable? Remember the six year old who was taken in for questioning because settlers had seen him playing with a gun sitting in a car?  Again, a plastic toy gun. The army has nothing better to do.  Sorry! They have to arrest children who may turn into terrorists. After all, who knows what playing with a toy gun can lead to? The men knew that the two men were in Ofer and the boy and his father in the prison at the DCO. Later, on the phone, they told us that the two men had been released without being told of what they were accused. They were still waiting for the boy and his father to be released. But in the meantime they had taken a lawyer to whom they paid 10,000 Shekel and they have to pay another 8000 Shekel to free the latter. How nice for the coffers of Israel. The Palestinian said,  " You  may be for human rights but for  us there are no human rights. We are like animals."

A profitable day? And even when we cannot help them, they thank us for coming and seeing ....and now we are telling their stories.