Etzion DCL
I arrived at the Liaison and Coordination Administration at 08:15 and left at 11:55. When I arrived 18 people were waiting in the hall. The computer that prints out numbers was not working, and an officer and female soldier were attempting to solve the problem, but without success. At 08:35 another officer arrived and succeeded in repairing the computer. Ten people were immediately called to go in to be taken care of. Most came out after 20 – 30 minutes. People went into the office continuously and there was no waiting line in the hall.
Aside from renewing their magnetic cards, most of the people were there because their work permits had been revoked. This is a collective punishment that will no doubt bring about severe consequences.
This year, as every other year, the magnetic cards have run out. We wrote about this problem in October 2010 and presented the issue together with the fact that we had written about the problem in our reports from the previous year. At the time we wondered how these plastic cards have "run out" even when everyone knows that many of the magnetic cards expire every summer. We never received an answer and will probably not receive one now. The validity of the cards is now being extended until November without having to replace them. Young people and people who have not yet requested a magnetic card, for whom the card is "not essential" according to the occupiers are now being asked to come back at the end of the year.
The soldier at the turnstile was attentive to the Palestinians, was present throughout the shift, and spoke simple Arabic.