Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Nuaman (Masmuria), Tue 3.5.11, Afternoon

Duration: 14:00 - 7:30 PM

Etzion DCL, 15.20 PM:  on the parking lot are 9 Palestinian cars, but in the waiting hall we did not see people. One soldier stood at the counter. Then a few people were running to the turnstiles. All persons were let in.

One of them returned from the office and came to us with his papers, asking for help. He was young, living in Bethlehem. He wanted a "tassrich"  in order to visit his wife in an East Jerusalem hospital in Beit Tsafafa. Slowly his whole story came out. He is married to a woman who lives in East Jerusalem with two kids. A long time has passed since his last visit in Jerusalem. He had no magnetic card, no permit, only a doctor's letter mentioning that he should come to be present and help at his wife's discharge. The Shabbak did not give him a permit. He assumed that the fact that his wife is hospitalized –  may get him a permit without a magnetic card or any other explanation paper.

We recommended to ask Sylvia for help and gave him her telephone number. 

We left at 15:50 PM.

Checkpoint Nuaman 16:20 PM:   no cars. No activity.

Bethlehem – Checkpoint 300, 16:30 PM:  mainly workers arrived at the checkpoint (to return to their homes) with big and small busses and were rushing into the CP, crossing the empty counters. In one of them a soldier was sitting, talking on the phone.

The other counters on the Israeli side were idle.

We were unable to cross the checkpoint to observe what was going on at the other end.