Etzion DCO and Bethlehem Checkpoint are dead

I arrived at Etzion DCO at 1:45 p.m. The parking lot was empty. The waiting hall was empty. I walked around inside and outside, in the hopes that someone would find me and ask me whom I was looking for and what I was doing there altogether. Some hope! The only sound was from planes in the sky, and they certainly weren’t there to welcome me.

Checkpoint 300, 2:30 p.m. The crossing lane for pedestrians wanting to come to Jerusalem was closed. The vehicle crossing was open but when I approached on foot, the soldiers came out and yelled at me to move away. Absolutely hysterically – a bit ridiculous when the saboteur is a bent old lady who has difficulty walking, but who’s looking for logic these days.

Route 60: All along the sections of Route 60 that used to be two-lanes, work to widen the road is progressing amazingly fast. At a certain point, by Derech Avot (the Way of the Patriarchs), there’s even a low wall. It’s hard to discover whether the intention is to prevent road accidents or whether the concept of the separation fence is getting broader. Here too, who knows who has the answer.

In the past, we used to complain about the waiting lines and the pressure. Today, I’m making a silent prayer for the pressure to return. And in the meantime, it’s day 344 for the Hamas hostages – and our ministers are busy with politics. It’s heartbreaking.