Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Thu 1.11.07, Morning
- Bethlehem checkpoint : the workers' passage through the checkpoint is orderly and calm. All the passage-ways are open, and except for one female soldier who shouts from time-to-time, there is nothing worthy of comment.
0730 Al Nashash : 4 taxis are waiting for passengers. We
continue to Nebi Yunis, where the vehicle traffic is sparse
and 2 taxis are waiting. We move on to Beit Omer,
where a Hummer is standing by the road, and there is a
steady stream of traffic. We arrive at Al Arov, and there
also it's quiet.
On the way back to Etzion DCL : At the left-hand turn on
the Etzion roundabout we met a demonstration of Israeli
teachers, of course with army security guards.
0930 Etzion DCL : about 30 people, mostly men, are waiting in
the entrance-hall. The first 10 are already inside, and the
people say they don't have to wait for long. However, until
0945 no new people entered or left. Nevertheless, after
Idit's phone-call to the window-clerks some movement
became apparent, and people again started to enter and
come out again. Also a policeman was present. All the
young men who came out of the civilian administration
center were those to whom the GSS had refused a permit.
A number of young people who had been summoned by the
GSS for questioning were waiting in a queue outside the
building.
A woman settler with a big pistol strapped to her backside was searching for a policeman. “Maybe she wants to kill someone” said a man standing next to us . . . .