Etzion DCL, Wed 9.11.11, Morning

09:00---07:00   

Etzion DCO

We, usually in the shift Bethlehem, Etzion DCO, Tuesday  afternoon- wanted to find out if in the morning there could be more to do than in our old afternoon shift.

So we met at 07.00 and were arriving on an empty highway at 07.35 at Etzion DCO.

 In the parking space there were 8 Palestinian cars (later more) and before the closed door of the waiting hall 32 Palestinian men.

The door should be opened at 08.00, and was opened at 08.15. At this time there were 40 men and 4 women waiting. Everybody sat down. A men started reading names and some  men got up. Then everybody stood up and all the people were streaming to the turnstiles. A car came and the inmates went through the crowd at the top of the queue.

Silently the crowd - the women first - were squeezing themselves over stairs and through the turnstiles along the counter following a soldier to the rooms in which their request would be handled.

They went out of sight. So we left.

While we were waiting before the closed door two men approached us; one wanted Sylvia's telephone number, which we gave; the other (" am a friend of Judith Elkanan") wanted to know if the Police would be there today. They had apparently confiscated one of his documents. The Police was there.

The way back

We took the way via Efrata and Tekoa junction. Twice we saw groups of soldiers who were checking Arab drivers.

Also, at checkpoint Har Homa, a muslim woman with a blue ID in a car with Israeli plates was sent back to Beit Sahour.

When we arrived at the junction .it was too late to visit the checkpoint at Bethlehem.