Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Tue 26.5.09, Morning

  6:30 AM, Bethlehem Checkpoint:  five stations were open for checking, with fairly long lines which passed quickly.  But people coming through told us that there were crowds in the inner section where only 2 lines were open – one of them humanitarian.  After about 15 minutes there was a sudden lull in traffic and some ten minutes later the heavy stream resumed.  Presumably there was some delay in the inner section which, of course, we could not see.

By 7.20 we were told that there were no longer many people waiting inside, so we left soon after.

7.40 AM, Etzion DCL: there were six people waiting for the DCL to open, which it did shortly after 8:00 AM.

One man, who has apparently been in Sylvia’s care, asked us for help – but we explained that only she was the right address.

Another man, this time one who was refused entry by the police, approached us.  Sylvia referred us to Chaya, who checked that there was a policeman on duty today at the DCL. This being so, she recommended that the man have a photocopy made of his relevant police document before meeting the  police.  After a lot of negotiation and misunderstanding (with broken Hebrew, Arabic and English all round), he entrusted us with his document so that we could copy it in Alon Shevut.  This we managed to do (with the kind help of the Alon Shevut locals.  Maybe they would have been as gracious even if they knew what organization we were from?).

9.25 AM, we returned him his documents and left.