Etzion DCL

In many parts of the road the Israeli flag was flying next to the flag of Netivei Yisrael (National Transport Infrastructure Company), even though the road is in  occupied territory and each time we see the amount of people and vehicles working on the road being built  for the convenience of the settlers the blood boils. Had so many been working on the light rail in Jerusalem it would have been finished long ago.

In spite of Ramadan and the fact that the DCO was closed (except for urgent cases), we encountered a few people who came for help. Even though the DCO is open for urgent problems, nothing is urgent where Palestinians are concerned. As the man we spoke to had waited about 10 minute, we added our calls to ask that the doors be opened for him. He kept saying that everything was fine, that there were good people inside. Having a suspicious nature, one wonders if he was nervous that, because of our intervention, the soldiers would be harder on him but he came out later saying that everything was fine.

It was the hottest day of the year and of course the water fountain does not work and is being used as a kind of a cupboard. Needless to say that this was the same case last summer. I hope that the hard-working soldiers inside have water to drink, hopefully their water is cold.

A man who works in the Arava dessert and passes through the check point each day found that his permit did not appear on the computer. But later came out saying that all was well.

Another  man had a little girl who is almost completely handicapped, 95 %. He has a Palestinian ID and his car carries  a Palestinian licence plate. For the last 20 years he holds a ruling from  the Supreme Court which allows him to drive in Israel.  Now he had to renew the permit.   An Israeli woman was on the phone on the phone helping him.

A man who lives in Har Homa in a house built in the 1930's reported that now the house is completed inclosed by the Har Homa neighborhood. We have the details and will check out the house on Sunday.

He told us about the troubles that the settlers of Givat Talia in the South Hebron Hills are giving the Palestinians in the area and that the one road leading out of Yatta is being close by the Israeli authorities. He beamed with pleasure when Shlomit began to give him the name of the lawyer, Kamar Mishraki, from  Rabbis for Human Rights and said that he was in contact with her daily and that they had a WhatsApp group.

As an aside, Yaakov Talia (of Givat Talia), who was killed in a tractor accident, is an ex-South African who left South Africa as he could not stand the thought of living in a country without his beloved apartheid. Does one need to say more? He converted and I can remember many years ago, in the early 80s, I think it was, when three us from the Rabbis went to stand with a young man driving his tractor on his land below the home of this racist fascist were shot at by him and then attacked and had urine and feces thrown at us. Then already the army and the police did nothing to stop this. We complained to the police while Talia wandered in and out while we were given evidence. In the end  the case was thrown out as not in the public interest. His daughter is still living in the area.

As we left though, I saw this Palestinian man and was rather taken aback at seeing his shirt: