Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Nuaman, Wed 27.8.08, Morning
Bethlehem - Rahel Passage: There were many Israeli vehicles outside the checkpoint. The meaning of this is that there must be a long line inside and that the laborers were being held up.
The reception we got wasn't hostile, not extremely anyway, but when we had a longer conversation we learned that the waiting time was of two hours. Once again passage was slow on the other side of the wall and we didn't have any way of reaching there. They didn't open another entrance, and if they did the passage was still slow.
Things must change but we don't have enough power to help.
Nuaman Passage: We headed up to the village houses and met a group of children in school uniforms heading to school. We drove on until they reached the place where they were inspected. They rang the bell. The door opened and through it I saw the room air-conditioned room through it the children passed. The children got out of the non/inspection room and crossed the road, they didn't have traffic lights of an adult to help them pass. Some headed to school at El Haras and the others to Beit Sahur.
Hooray! The military forces allow Palestinian children to get from an A' territory to an A' territory, and in the middle is Israel protecting itself.
Nabi Unis: We had a cup of coffee and tried to help a person who was refused passage by the police without knowing why.
Etzion DCL: It was the reception day of the residents of a village by Bethlehem. Few people came. Chairs were taken from the middle of the room, we didn't know why. The air condition made the waiting bearable. But the number of machines issuing the magnetic cards remand as it was since "the IDF doesn't have enough money to buy more machines".