Bethlehem, Etzion DCL, Tue 7.9.10, Afternoon

14.30 till 17.30 PM, Etzion DCL

General situation:

For Jews:     one day before Rosh ha Shana
For Muslims: Eed-el-Fitr holidays which they usually use for visits at special doctors or hospitals in East Jerusalem.

Nine Palestinian cars are parked on the parking lot. about 24 people in the waiting hall - men, women, children.

Some people came to renew their magnetic cards.

After our arrival (15.15 PM) nobody was called in. People told us that they were already waiting about one or two hours.

We started to telephone according to our list. We called about 10 phone-calls, and after some frustration a few soldiers were beginning to call up at least the people applying for a permit.

In some cases the permit was refused. One was a father who needed it for his daughter. He had an invitation for the hospital in Jerusalem but was missing a prescription from the local doctor.

Another person was taking care of a young, visibly sick, man. The sick person seemed to be already in a kidney treatment at Mukassa hospital and had a prescription from his local doctor. The soldiers did not let him into their offices. We were trying to convince them to do so. Finally he could go in. We were waiting for a while, but did not see him anymore.