Etzion DCO: People thank us, for what?

10.30 - 12.00

There were only about four cars in the park and two men waiting, one for his son and another for his uncle. They had both been summoned by phone at night. The uncle was in his 50s and has asthma but the Israeli security services have still found a reason to harass him.

Photo: This is the exit from the offices. The Israeli army spares no effort in showing the Palestinians how much they despise them as human beings. Even coming down steps they have to wade through vegetation

The turnstile for the most part is open but every now and again it is locked.

There are no longer numbers and people have to stand at the bars screaming for the soldier to open. One man says that the problem is that many soldiers have Corona but of course one does not know if this is so or simply what the Palestinians are told to keep them quiet.

Another man had been in jail several time in administrative detention but did not know the reason why.

We spent most of the morning dealing with two men, brothers. A man who has a green ID is married to an Israeli citizen who lives in Beit Safafa,. She is not well and had to undergo brain scan (MRI). Yesterday she had a bad fall at home. All their relations are in the West Bank Ramallah area and for one reason or another are unable to help them. They have five small children. They were here two weeks ago already and had forgotten the documents in the offices of Asaf, who is not present today.

The man has a letter from the hospital stating that his wife needs help on a daily basis. Even then they would not give it to him for an extended period of time. This has been going on for four years and he carries mounds of paper. But for the moment he only has a permit to be with her for the day of the scan. We spoke with Hana Barag who said she would try to help and also gave him the phone number of the social worker in Beit Safafa and told him to speak to the social worker in Hadassah. his brother is a trader and we advise him to contact Sylvia.

A man from Dora has received a demolition order for a house he has been building for the last year for his wife and two children. We told him to contact Hagit Ofran. He has documentation proving his ownership of the land.

The worst moment is when people stop us several times on our way back to the car to thank us and we feel we have done nothing. With all the advice we give him and the people we tell them to turn to, who knows how much success they will have.