Bethlehem

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Aug-7-2003
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Checkpoint 300 looked empty, and Al
Khadr -- deserted. We noted a few donkeys and one horse travelling
between Etzion and Al Khadr, no Palestinian means of transportation
at all.

Beyond Etzion we encountered lots of pedestrians walking up the 2
kilometres from El Aroub. In Halhul we encountered the usual mounds
of rubble that had to be climbed in order to board yellow cabs to
Hebron. Bus and cab drivers on this side of the mounds are only
allowed to drive as far as El Aroub, and from there to Beit Omar.
Alternatively they could take the roundabout road (which takes 2½
hours (instead of fifteen minutes on Road 60) to reach Bethlehem
from the South East via Wadi Se'ir. This is dangerous, and cannot
be safely done by bus.

Etzion: Thousands of pedestrians walked behind the fence, and only
very randomly someone was checked before being allowed to continue.
No one was held up. The pedestrians (including women and children,
most of whom had already trekked from El Aroub) continued on their
way towards Al Khadr, but were not allowed to board any means of
transportation. A few soldiers stopped all Palestinian traffic on
the road. Many people remained waiting, hoping for a change, but
some continued walking. A soldier kept the papers of a yellow cab
driver who was not allowed on the road. He said that although the
man said he only wanted to return home, he would soon be back with
a carload of passengers, which is against the rules. Another
soldier said that orders are changed a couple of times a day and
that they themselves never know what the new rules involve. The new
regulations whereby all pedestrians are allowed to pass, but no
cars, have been in force on and off since the latest shooting
incident near Har Gilo. We took a young woman to Al Khadr, but
there only saw soldiers and border police-jeeps and no
Palestinians. Where were all the Palestinians who had been on their
way to Bethlehem?

On the way to Beit Jalla we again encountered many border police
-vehicles, and road blocked with barbed wire. Checkpoint 300: Very
few cars were let in and hardly any pedestrians. Most were turned
back. A van with tourists and a Jewish contractor with a group of
Thai workers walked through without any security check. Many cars
were parked along the curb and in the middle of the road, left by
Jews who went to pray on 9th of Ab at Rachel's Tomb. Three private
cars were escorted by a screeching BP-jeep to the site. The
commander of the Checkpoint told us that he had arranged for an
important rabbi to be escorted, but that others had to wait for a
bus, which was due any minute. Many more ultra-religious Jews were
waiting for the special bus to take them on the 2-km. trip to the
tomb.