October 24, 2002

Bethlehem Closed?

[Bethlehem, West Bank] Was Bethlehem a closed military zone again today? I'm actually not sure. I heard reports about Israeli tanks at the checkpoint and in Beit Sahour, but I didn't see them. I heard helicopters flying overhead, and I saw an APC in Beit Sahour, sitting in the middle of the road. I briefly talked to soldiers who were stopping cars along the back road to Jerusalem or the Mar Saba Monastery. They wanted to know my purpose, and I asked to take a few photos. They decided it was OK, so I snapped a few pictures and they started joking around, like normal young men might. They told me that one soldier was better suited for "National Geographic" than anywhere I would put his photo. (He drank from a large bottle of fruit juice and rolled a lollipop around his mouth.) The young soldiers were actually sort of funny. When they found I was from Virginia, they asked me about recent news of the sniper there. I had just read on Yahoo that the police had arrested two men in Maryland. The soldiers were quite interested in his race and whether or not he had special training. They guessed that he was a white army sharpshooter.

I left Beit Sahour and headed for the Bethlehem checkpoint. When my taxi had almost arrived, we were met by a fleet of empty taxis coming in our direction. They were blowing their horns and rapidly waving their hands. One driver stopped and told us that there was just a lot of shooting at the Bethlehem checkpoint. My driver pulled a fast 180, and left dust flying. He has a strict policy about not going into the middle of a gunfight. That's why I like riding with him.

Is this Israeli soldier better suited for "National Geographic?"

The soldiers took a break from stopping traffic.

The APC forced some traffic to veer from the main paved road and into fields.