"Checkpoint 300, separating Bethlehem from Jerusalem, worsens. On the second Friday of Ramadan, Palestinian police join the Israeli army in controlling the movement of Palestinian residents from the Bethlehem district who are allowed to reach an armored Jerusalem and the Al Aqsa Mosque.
Thousands of Palestinians, at four in the morning, stand in front of the checkpoint. Women, men and children. A surreal show. To the traditional route of the checkpoint dividing Bethlehem from Jerusalem, Palestinian police have now added new barriers: Two lines of walls separating men and women. At the entrance of the checkpoint, a sign reminds everyone that, according to an order of the Israeli authorities, the only people allowed to go pray in the Al Aqsa Mosque are men over 50 years old, women over 45 years old and those who possess a permit to enter Israel.
In a shocking atmosphere of normalisation and uncritical acceptance, Palestinian policemen monitor the queue and communicate easily with the Israeli soldiers on the other side of the checkpoint. During Ramadan, the Palestinian security forces are the watchdog and perform the job usually done by Israeli forces."
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