Etzion DCL, Thu 25.7.13, Afternoon

Translation: Naomi gal

13:40 many are waiting in the waiting room and at the turnstile. Every now and then they let in people who require permits to enter Israel to receive medical treatment in our hospitals. They do not give permits to the applicants who want to enter in order to celebrate Ramadan "because the checkpoints are loaded."

A young man turned to us and asked for advice. He said he worked in agriculture in a moshav in Israel and received 16 shekels per hour! He did not get any extras, not even for overtime. Ethiopian workers, who worked with him, received 22 shekels per hour and were transported back and forth from work at the employer’s expense. After working there for a while the young man dared address a representative of the Israeli company that employed him and asked for a raise of two Shekels per hour, i.e. 18 Shekel per hour. In response, she fired him.

A youngster, whose brother has cancer and is hospitalized in "Mokassad" Hospital in East Jerusalem, said he and his brother received permits to enter and stay by the patient, but the patient's wife did not get one. We spoke with the officer. The young man was let in and got a permit for the wife.

What would have happened if we weren’t there? Would the wife have been prevented from seeing her husband?

A young man, who looked depressed and shabby, said he is a sanitary cleaner at Hebron Municipality and is in charge of burning trash for the municipality. He was arrested by an officer for "burning garbage" and now he is GSS prevented. We referred him to Sylvia.

Two young men came out; they were seeking permits to visit ailing people in Israel but were refused. They said they are blacklisted by the police because they were caught working in Israel without a permit. They were told that they could get a permit only after a police assessment would be conducted.

People whose permits were issued, but they did not receive them, said they were told that if they declared at a Palestinian Court that the permit was lost and brought a document from the court, they would receive new permits at DCO.