Bethlehem Cp 300, Etzion DCO, Beit Omar, El Khadr, Efrat CP

Bethlehem and Surroundings Monday, January 24, 2005 14:00Observers: Shlomit S, Deena, and Batya K (reporting) Bethelhem Checkpoint 300 was open and moving. One person whose car registration had been taken a month ago by the police was waiting for a ride home. He had been told to get his registration returned at the Atarot police station. When he went to Atarot, they sent him back to the Bethlehem police station. He disappeared before we could see if he needed any help.Beit Omar: Quiet, traffic moving with no police or army presence. We went to the local store to pick up money that was supposed to have been left by a person from Yatta, in order for MW to pay his traffic tickets (in Jerusalem). The money was not there. A telephone call revealed that he had been stopped and held at the Yatta checkpoint for 1 ½ hours. He returned home instead of going to Beit Omar. He will try again tomorrow. Etzion DCO: Several people waiting for various permits to Jerusalem. One man with a sick son, who needed regular treatment at Hadassah, was looking for funds to help with his bill. We called the Peres Center for Peace. They have a humanitarian aid fund and offered to help him. A musician-conductor who has asked twice for permission to fly to Russia via Ben Gurion was refused permission again. We took his name and will call a journalist with the information. A woman was refused a magnetic card by the GSS. They told her to write a request clarifying why she was refused. We gave her the number of ACRI to assist in the appeal.Efrat Checkpoint: Long lines in both directions with traffic moving in one direction at a time. The average waiting time to pass the checkpoint was about ½ hour. A man in a car with three women had his identity card taken and had been waiting for about 30 minute get it back. A query to the soldier brought the response”Legally, we can hold the ID cards for up to 3 hours”. In the middle of the phone call to the army, the soldier returned the ID card. A family of six was waiting to cross the checkpoint on foot. The soldier moved them through quickly with no problems. El Khader: No police or border guard. There were a lot of taxis and transits collecting and dropping people off. We returned to Jerusalem around 16:30.