Bethlehem, Fri 2.9.11, Morning

9:30-11:15
Bethlehem - Checkpoint 300:    how desolate this place is, in comparison with the thousands who came through here during Ramadan!
Two large families with close to ten small children each pass through easily.  Later, a few individuals pass through.  Two lanes are open in the first section.  The divider in the middle of the corridor is closed.
A bored security guard tells us not to sit on the abandoned planter.
Beyond the divider, a Rambo-like border officer suddenly appears and asks what we’re doing here, and demands our IDs.  
A man with a work permit, attempting to cross with his children, is denied entry because his children lack a permit.