EA eyewitness human rights violation at a checkpoint
The main crossing from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, "checkpoint 300", is for all local people a handicap, sometimes an impossible obstacle especially for the sick, old or disabled, the mothers with babies or small children, and all those in need of help. Patients with valid papers, with a medical report and referral to a hospital have been denied entry. Patients have received permission to pass through but not their relatives accompanying them. In many cases, it depended on the mood of the soldier on duty if a person was allowed to pass or not and how this proceeded.
On Monday, June 25 2007, at about 7o'clock in the morning the entrance turnstile was closed. An obviously sick woman about 50 years old was waiting with her grown up son to enter. The soldier opened the turnstile, which lets only one person pass at a time, so the son was unable to assist his mother. She had problems walking, so I helped her. I put my arm around her and she leant on me for the long walk across the courtyard, down to the terminal hall. She was on her way to St. John's Hospital in East Jerusalem, for treatment for a cancer in her brain, which partially paralysed her legs and she had difficulty speaking. Crowds of workers waiting to pass through the metal detector also slowed our progress. Finally, we three managed to pass the turnstile and entered the small area with a conveyor belt through an X-ray machine for the luggage and the walk-through metal detector for people.
The machine beeped as this woman went through. The female soldier inside the booth, who looked about 20 years old, yelled through the loudspeaker for the woman to turn back again. Confused, we looked at each other. Where was metal hidden on her? The son had already put her belongings and needs for the hospital onto the conveyor belt. The woman removed her headscarf pin and gave it to me. Again, the machine beeped. The soldier again yelled through the loudspeaker, which rang through the whole hall, making the waiting workers more impatient and nervous. We helped her take off her sandals, but again a beep.
Angrily the soldier forced the son out of this area, back through the turnstile. I objected, saying that he was needed to help his mother, but this did not work. So he went back to the crowd, bearing the anger of the waiting people.
She tried again to pass, but again a beep. Suddenly I recognized the reason for all this trouble: small paillets embroidered on the top of her traditional dress. I pointed this out to the soldier, but she became angrier, yelling and yelling for me to leave the area, back through the turnstile. I refused to follow her order, remaining stubbornly next to the sick woman. I called the Israeli military Humanitarian Hotline on my mobile phone, explaining the situation. How could I leave the woman, as she was unable to stand without support? The soldier rushed out of her booth, forcing the woman to lift up her dress and even her bra. She stood almost naked in this public place, withonly herunderpants covering her. Tears poured from my eyes at this degrading behaviour as I helped the sick woman to dress.
The son followed. Slowly we went through the final turnstile and then to the ID check with the fingerprint machine. I accompanied them to the taxi rank. Entering the car, she was so weak that she needed four men to help seat her in the taxi.
