Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Sun 16.3.08, Afternoon

At the Etzion DCL we again met Palestinians who had bee summoned

by the General Security Services.   One of them was an extremely frustrated trader, who was on the GSS black-list, who showed us his trader’s certificate issued by the PLO.   He said he is prepared to pay anyone who could arrange for him to continue his business.   He also contacted Sylvia.   He has Jewish friends who told him that they  know the GSS people, and could help him to deal with them.   He has paid thousands of shekels to lawyers, who told him ”go to the High Court.   If they won’t help you, yours is a lost case.   Give us $5000, and with our connections, we will fix everything for you there”.   He is too scared to do so. 

The man submitted his ID at 10.00.hrs, in the hope of “clearing himself from the curse of being on the SSS black-list”   The intervention of major Nevuani resulted in his being summoned to the GSS, the return of his ID, and another summons by another captain. 

A Palestinian told us that his sister, black-listed by the GSS, had to go to Mukasa hospital today for a kidney operation.   The man arrived without his sister’s ID number.   After searching around without success, I called Dalia., who quickly found that there is already an arrangement for an ambulance to transport the sick woman to the hospital and that there is permission recorded on the computer for her to stay there for five days.  It wasn’t clear why the Etzion DCL didn’t issue it. 

Why isn’t it possible for it to be recorded on the computer   “GSS black-listed – issue a permit” to enable the sick person to get to a hospital ? “   At this stage, I involved Lieutenant Colonel Vahava, the head of the civil administration, and I took leave of the Palestinian and gave him my telephone number, so that if he didn’t receive the permit within half an hour he should call me. 

After forty minutes – no permit. 

Tsidky was already off-duty and there was no replacement.   I spoke to a soldier in the office who asked “why didn’t you contact the Humanitarian centre ?”   (Go and explain to him that this is a medical case and the medical centre to which I had first applied is the correct address.   Also, try to explain that a Palestinian family which is trying to look after a sick woman who needs an urgent operation to save her kidneys is being given the run-around.   I told him “I am not going to call any Humanitarian Centre.   My next address is the head of the civil administration, and after him the Coordinator of Activities in the Occupied Territories.   Indeed I spoke to captain Mali Cohen and with the assistant coordinator of activities, and demanded an investigation into the case. 

I spoke to Tedasa, and to Nevuani, and they told me that they were attending to the matter.   Attending, attending . . . , but why was there still no permit ?   At this stage, Shlomit decided to return to the DCL.   70 minutes had already past; how long does it take to issue a permit ? (when we know that is already on the computer screen).    

The brother arrived at the DCL and told us that the permit had been refused.   He said they cannot issue a permit without seeing a written application; he entered the DCL and within a few minutes received the permits for himself and his sister.   Tedasa came out of the DCL  and said “I tried to find out what was the story”.   The soldier told me that he was not allowed to issue a permit  if he hadn’t received a written application;  that is the rule.   I searched everywhere in the DCL for the application for an hour and a half and it wasn’t there.    

Efforts to handle this case with coordination between the hospital and the civil administration had been going on for more than a week.   Answers were received from all the bodies concerned, so why wasn’t it possible to issue the permit ?   In this case the required documents were 15 minutes away from the DCL, and the whole story cost the family 160 shekels for a taxi.   Mukasa hospital told the family  to go to the DCL to collect the permit, and didn’t know that it was impossible to issue it without the original written application, which was submitted to the Palestinian Authority. 

I am sending copies of this report to “The NATO distribution list “ . . .