Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Mon 17.11.08, Afternoon

14:00 PM, Etzion DCL: at least 5 persons were waiting for interrogation by the secret service, some 50 with a number for a magnetic card, and another 40 for a magnetic card without numbers. There weren’t even enough chairs to seat them all.

First I tried to help those who were invited to the secret service, and the humanitarian desk promised to deal with the matter.

378 was the lowest number that was mentioned today by the Palestinians – apparently the first number handed out.

When we arrived at 14:00 number 795 came out with a magnetic card – a simple calculation shows that less than 200 people with numbers who were allowed in ...

Maybe another 40 people were entered to have their fingerprints taken or people without numbers – but for those lucky to get numbers in the morning this was the situation.

After 15:00 an officer – major – by the name of Fadi with another officer – sublieutenant – appeared and announced to all who have no number to leave and to return next week. No requests will be signed, no certainty that next week they will be received.

At the end of the day number 920 came out with a magnetic card and number 921 complained that 952 and others were allowed in but not him. But the 30 people who remained in the DLC with numbers by 17:00 were told that they can return tomorrow Tuesday to renew their magnetic cards.

At Etzion crossroads our eyes caught soldiers who had a conflict with a Palestinian:  the matter is that they want to remove him from the area of the station where he tried to catch a taxi to Hebron and they told him to wait some 50 meters further South because the place is a hitch-hike post for Jewish settlers from the area and the task of the army is to maintain public order and they must in advance separate between the two parties. The problem is that if a taxi were to stop at the site where Palestinians are allowed to wait, he will violate the traffic rules for stopping and be fined some 250 NIS, and even may have his driving license revoked because of this misdemeanor. Therefore, every day the locals cannot return to their house in Hebron. The soldiers photographed Shlomit’s car – and the Palestinian, who is afraid he was photographed, is worried for the health permit he carries ...

We finished the matter thus that we gave him a ride to Beth Ummar where there is a matter of fines of a member of the family who requested our help, but we hurried back to the DCL.