Bethlehem, Thu 25.2.10, Morning
6:05 AM, Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300: upon our arrival, there were 4 booths open. Different people tell us that "things are OK today, as opposite as what happened the day before, which was terrible". Later, an old man arrived and told the DCL representative that he had to wait for two and a half hours. The DCL man told him, that because of his age, he could have gone through the humanitarian queue. Still,the question would be why all the others have to wait so long at the checkpoint.
The DCL man told us and stressed that it is very important for him that everything works properly, as it should be. It seems that he tries to have a "humane" dialogue with people. But, besides the question "what is properly or not properly", the fact is that even if things work OK, the general attitude towards Palestinians is humiliating – impolite in the best case, and generally, hostile. The situation over the Palestinian side of the terminal drives people very nervous, the soldiers' manners at the booths, are unpleasant and the general attitude is as towards inferior people.