Bethlehem, Palestinian side - first Friday of Ramadan

About 100 meters after the Rosmarin traffic light, the Border Guard sets up a checkpoint every year in Ramadan. This year the same thing,

this barrier is in place. Those with beards, wigs and coifs on their way to Rachel's tomb are allowed to pass by car. We had to park quite a distance away and went for a morning walk on 170 feet. We were amazed at the lack of traffic and only few minutes later we realized that summer time is another of the "apartheid" phenomena. For now, it's summer only in Israel.

We passed thought the Palestinian entrance with no problem - no one was interested in us.

The sparse traffic at the beginning of the shift made it possible to free up time to review the wonders and innovations as we came through.

To the men’s entrance had been added barriers which separate the different passages. Two checkpoints and another checkpoint have also been added which we knew from previous years, for the security guards. A new digital system has been put into use which speeds up the transition. An App on the phone - click the checker and pass. The women pass through a passage used by vehicles on other days and this time we didn't look there. The ages are the same as always - up to 45 with permits, 45-54 without permits though. But children up to the age of 12 without documents were turned back, some in tears. Unlike other years when the soldiers would go aside to drink, the bottles of water meant for them were clear to all and shows the way things are changing.

Little by little the flow of those who passed increased and so did those who were rejected. The adults among them were sent home with a short escort by a soldier until crossing the checkpoint. But the serious criminals were escorted to the Israeli side. Why? where? It is not clear.

The police, the army, the border guard and the Shin Bet were present in large numbers. Everyone is armed from head to toe. One could not ignore the tension in the air. The behaviour was "correct", which did not hide that the occupation was brutal.

And there is nothing to talk about freedom of worship. The Coordinator of Operations in the Territories, the head of the Civil Administration and all his officers came to enjoy themselves. Very proud of "the efficiency and relief provided this year". We did not share this feeling but we showed that we are still here and seeing and understanding everything we saw.

In past years we reported on a festive atmosphere, on people in their best clothes with little girls in colourful dresses and cute kids in little suits. Today there was no celebration, no one laughed, we hardly saw any children.

People rushed to the buses and the feeling was that all they wanted was to get away from the humiliation as quickly as possible.

We decided to leave. We always passed on our way home through the iron gate which is part of the wall of evil that surrounds Bethlehem. A policeman stopped us and demanded that we pass through like the Palestinians, through the checkpoint. We tried to argue – it was a waste of time.

Our IDs were required and taken (and of course also photographed), the police phoned to check and in the end we were informed that "I'm just following instructions". We thought we had heard this before in another land. We passed through the checkpoint - and there is always a glass half full - we saw what happens to thousands every day. When we got to the Israeli side, they explained that the normal exit was closed and “if you can't jump over the fence", you have to go around. Suddenly a policeman who knows Natanya appeared and decided that he would take us in the normal way.

In addition to the fact that the way is shorter and more convenient, we were given the opportunity to find out what happened to the "serious criminals".

At the entrance to the checkpoint there is a cage, a sort of closed neglected garden. That's where the detainees sat. To our question he explained that they are "waiting for the bus to take them home". We are not innocent enough and too experienced to believe a lie like

this. We are back to the days of the jora, where people who had in some way not been sufficiently submissive, were delayed for hours and then sent home. This is so that those whom the king does not desire will not get to the holy mosque to pray.