Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Mon 11.2.08, Afternoon

From 2:00 till 5:15 PM

Liebermann Road, El Arub, DCL Etzion, Bus stop across entrance to
Tantur and CP 300

We drove from Har Homa in search of a parking spot to visit Nu'eman at
one of our next shifts and decided that the blocked-off road towards
the right near the CP was most suitable. We asked the girl soldier at
the CP whether one was allowed to park there and immediately a
civilian guard interfered and attacked us verbally full of hatred and
in an extremely nasty way accused us of wanting to spy on him. He told
us in no uncertain terms that we should leave immediately and that we
were not allowed to park anywhere. We drove on. The last remnants of
the former CP near the entrance to Efrata have been removed. At the
Etzion roundabout no cars were checked in either direction, but there
were four soldiers in and around the observation point guarding the
hitchhikers.

In El Arub we saw no army presence and thought that the anti-stone
wire-fences looked mended. Apparently young kids still throw stones
after school. We were told that the army arrives occasionally and then
saw a jeep turn into the next entrance to the village and turn around
to park at a higher spot. Both towers were not manned.

There was no one at the Etzion DCL and when we looked behind the
waiting room to see if anyone had been summoned for an interview with
the Security Services we met with Nebuani who arrived by car. He is in
charge of all matters pertaining to the DCL and was very proud of the
fact that we had no complaints except for a gut feeling that it is
impossible that all problems were solved and 'everybody is happy' as
he pretended.

We waited at the end of the right lane of the tunnel CP to find out
which cars were actually inspected and proceeded after all passengers
had been allowed back into a bus.

As we passed underneath Tantur we stopped to watch two male and two
female BP's complete forms for ten detainees amongst whom two women.
One of the soldiers crossed the street and asked us not to stand
there, but park somewhere else and observe from the other side of the
street. We parked near the greengrocer and as we approached were told
by one of the girls to move fifty yards away - those were the
instructions. When we objected she didn't insist, but was extremely
nasty when we tried to interfere on behalf of one of the women who
(according to one of the bystanders who knows her) urgently needed to
get home to her children in Bethlehem and had been held up almost an
hour ago. After about ten minutes all were told to proceed for
interrogation towards the CP (the woman at this point was crying)
including an elderly man with heavy bags. We offered to take him or
his bags and were rudely refused and when we asked whether she could
change the tone of her voice she angrily retorted "No". Finally a
younger man was chartered to carry the old man's bags. We left them in
the waiting area of the interrogation shed where we still found them
after more than half an hour on our way back from the Rachel crossing.
It was a very busy hour (almost 5:00 PM) and three windows were
manned. The civilian guard was efficient and even asked for an
additional window to be opened. People didn't have to wait more than
ten minutes and have by now been trained to form two orderly lines
outside before being allowed indoors. Women and children are allowed
in first. There were very few people coming in from Bethlehem. One man
with an elderly woman was told to return back home to Hebron and
report back in the morning at 9:00 AM to see "Captain" Shuki.