Morning

Etzion checkpoint around 7.15 AM, particularly cold and foggy. Two busses on their way from Halhul roadblocks northbound were parking near the army post, while all the passengers were lined up outside, waiting for the soldiers to complete their check. They were already being held there for approximately 45 minutes. Why this delay? it probably had to do with the fact that the Bethlehem district, urban and rural parts alike, was under curfew, implying that the passengers will not be able to reach their destinations anyway, but none of the soldiers was knowledgeable enough to confirm this. While approximately 80 Palestinians were shivering from cold outside the busses, on the other side of the fence that borders on this military compound, two additional men were standing separately. Their IDs were confiscated some 40 minutes earlier by one of the soldiers, while they walked away from the bus in the direction of near-by Beit Fajar where they both work at one of the stone-cutting workshops. We approached the young soldier, a new immigrant from former USSR, explained the situation and noted the destination of the two, and asked that the IDs be returned. The soldier would not accept this intervention: by walking away from the bus, these two Palestinians disregarded him, he claimed, implying that now they have to sustain the punishment for this "disobedience" on their part. The more we tried to explain the case to this soldier, the more things became heated, and the more the round of soldiers being involved grew larger. None was willing to put an end to this shameful episode, however, until their commander appeared on the scene, and reluctantly - not before he dismissed us, claiming that we have insulted his men - saw to it that the IDs be returned.From there we continued eastbound, that is through the road that borders on the southern part of ever expanding Efrat to the settlement of Tekoa. While turning back, we saw a group of Palestinians paving their way through the mud and fields. They turned out to be teachers at the near-by Joraat a-Sham'aa school. Unable to reach their workplace through the main road (the road, at least a major chunk of it, is a 'settlers only' one with a series of checkpoints along it), had no other choice. They invited us into their school, to which gesture we responded happily (we entered through another army checkpoint, very close to the entrance to this institution) but quite unexpectedly, and very contrary to our long and fruitful experience, the headmaster totally opposed this idea, claiming that he only takes 'orders' from the Ministry and would not talk with us. Soon we were back on the main road, and shortly after at our now shut down al-Khader school complex, and all but deserted al-Khader junction.