Etzion DCL, Tue 15.2.11, Afternoon

14.50 pm,  Etzion DCL:  about 15 people were in the waiting-room.  They complained that they were being admitted so slowly but before I could even phone to check, five were admitted and, on the whole, ‘regular’ applicants entered relatively quickly.

However, there were a number of serious problems.  As reported in Sunday’s report, a number of people did not manage to get in and a list was made of their names so that they could be admitted on Monday, although it was not the correct day for their ‘area.’  Today, a few people said they had come again on Monday but once again were unable to enter because the DCL closed at 3 o‘clock(!!).  These people did not have a list.  We tried repeatedly to negotiate for them to be received but to no avail.  The soldier (officer?) we spoke to on the phone insisted that everyone who had been on the list was accounted for and he did not believe these people.  It seems that there was not another list made yesterday, so we had no proof.

Among this group was a woman who had not managed to be admitted yesterday.  She needs a magnetic card and also a permit to visit her son in the hospital.  Unfortunately she did not have a document from the hospital so we couldn’t use that as ‘pressure’  but tried to get her admitted to get her magnetic card to save her at least one trip (she still had to go to the Palestinian DCL for their document before returning to Etzion DCL for an entry permit).   The soldier argued that there was no need to give her ‘protekzia’ (He kept repeating this word).  After all, his own mother travels by public transportation and has to stand in line at the Kupath Holim!

Two men were turned back because it was not ‘their day.’  The information about place of residence on the Israeli I.D. and that on the paper provided by the P.A. does not always tally and that is confusing. As the soldier at the window works exactly according to his computer record he was not prepared to make any concession without his officer’s permission (which we were unable to get).

Three men arrived ‘at the last minute’ (i.e., at 4.30) when there was no longer a soldier at the window but on our phoning, a soldier came and let them in.

A young man arrived, having been referred to the police from Kiryat Arba.  It turned out he was to go to the police station nearby.

A man came to the DCL police, not realizing that they work only until 12 noon.  We gave him the phone number to check in the morning that a police officer had in fact arrived before coming because, as we know from experience, the office often opens extremely late.