Etzion D.C.O: an inhuman, cruel bureaucracy

It took some time for a young man to tell us his story. He says that depression is part of his family's history. He is 45 and says that while his friends are now established with friends and family he has done nothing. Eventually he met a doctor who helped him and has now been working for a year. He says that a year ago he could not have told us his story as he was doing now. He lives with his family. Now he has been turned into a security risk. We told him that he should not tell the security services about his past as they might try to use it to pressure him to collaborate with them. 

Another case was that of a man and his wife who accompanied their child to hospital. The wife works at the municipality in Beit Ummar. Suddenly, three months ago she was declared a security risk…this after having had a permit for eighteen years with no problems in Israel. Now she can no longer accompany the child and her husband has to do so which means that he is losing days when he can work. Amazing how the security services always find the weak links in a family. His boss has also been trying to help him but nothing has moved.  Often the child has to go in a hurry to the hospital. His father cannot even leave the house as the child may take a turn for the worse. No one else in the family can help. 

Once again a man arrived who is trying to free himself from his employer……have we already mentioned slavery? 

Many of those arriving had been called in by the GSS. 

Just as we were pulling out, a man came with his brother who has a problem with his jaw. It was terrible to see but I did not have the heart to photograph the man. They had received a permit for the following day to go to the doctor's appointment. He has had  surgery and the family has paid themselves for this surgery. A large amount. He needs treatment desperately as at the moment he can only "eat" through a straw. He has not had solid food for three weeks. They want to get a permit for more than one day. We told him to ask the doctor for a letter explaining the problem. He was told that the army would contact Beit El and they should come back on Thursday for a reply.