8th November
Bethlehem.
I wrote recently of the increasing delays at the Bethlehem checkpoint and this got to its worst on Tuesday. When I arrived, there were a group of approximately 20 people waiting by the usually deserted outer gate to the checkpoint complex. The red light above the turnstile shows that it is locked.
I don’t know how long they had been waiting, but because people tend to arrive at this entrance only once every few minutes it must have been a while. After I got there, they kept the gate locked for another 30 minutes before letting us into the main building where we were held for a further 20 minutes before being allowed through.
I have no idea why this delay occurred, but since Tuesday the passage through the checkpoint has been back to normal with a time of around 5 minutes from start to finish. The increasing delays of the last week have afforded me the chance to take some photos of the checkpoint complex, in order to give you an idea of the permanence of these structures, and there affect on daily life.
When you arrive, you are directed down some caged corridors by signs - this area of the checkpoint is usually deserted.
These corridors lead to the main building.
Inside, you reach a turnstile with a light above, showing whether it is open. This time, you can see it is green. Apologies for the bad focus – taking photos at checkpoints is an excellent way to attract unwanted attention from soldiers, so I don’t always have time to get the perfect shot. The walkways you can see at the top of the photo are where armed Israeli soldiers walk around, looking down and occasionally shouting down on those trying to cross.
Looking through this turnstile, you can see the beginning of an area very similar to airport security, with an x-ray machine for bags, and a metal detector for humans. The difference between airport security is that here the staff are all behind glass in sealed rooms, and bleat instructions to people over loudspeakers.
On passing through the x-ray and metal detector area you then go to one of the booths to have your passport or identity card checked. There are twelve booths at the Bethlehem checkpoint that I have counted, but only very occasionally is more than one open at a time. It can be reminiscent of a budget supermarket at rush hour when there is a long line of people queuing at the one and only open checkout. Again, the walkways above can be seen at the top of the photo.
Once passing this final area, you are through the checkpoint and are free to leave the building. You may be able to imagine the daily grind of having to pass through here everyday – I am lucky in that I only need to cross three or four times a week.
