Bethlehem, Tue 2.3.10, Morning

6:45 AM, Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300:  five checking stations open. Groups of people sporadically come to the exit.  E, head of the police, tells us that 2,000 people have already passed, and that the CP was opened at 4:00 am.  We speak to two women from the Ecumenical organization. They report that only 1000 people had passed, and that there are two problems. One is the Humanitarian line. It becomes crowded with people not qualified to take it, therefore they are removed from the line and start the process from the beginning again.The other problem is the slowness of the metal detector.  

Several people tell us that someone has been hurt at the entrance in Bethlehem from a sharp piece of metal and is waiting for an ambulance. Through the Ecumenical representative, we learn that an ambulance did indeed arrive. When we left. at8:15 AM, there were still 400 people waiting to enter Jerusalem.

Going to our car, we see a policeman and E, the Police commander, standing beside cars parked along the curb to the automobile entrance to Bethlehem.

In between the two tunnels as we exitJerusalem we see to the right against a wall a number of cars and men withthe green security vests and road equipment.