Tourism Ministry opens checkpoint office
New office will serve as a link between Israel, PA tourism officials
The Ministry of Tourism has opened an office at the “Rachel Crossing,” the new checkpoint between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, in order to assure the smooth flow of tourist traffic in both directions.
There have been many complaints from tourists and tourism officials about the new checkpoint, where tourists are required to undergo a thorough security check, and to pass through five turnstiles, two x-ray machines, and a passport control desk.
Rafi Farber, vice president of the Israel Hotel Association, described the situation in a letter to the Minster of Tourism: “The monstrous structure gives the people passing through it the sense of being in a prison: the long hallways with no signs or instructions, the lack of direct communication with the people running the checkpoint, and the long and tiring security checks. Christian tourists who come to the new checkpoint feel hurt and angry.”
The new office will serve as a link between tourism officials in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and the commander of the checkpoint, and will help solve problems that arise. The Tourism Ministry official at the checkpoint will coordinate tourist arrivals and departures using information provided by travel agents, embassies, and Christian organizations. The office will be open initially five days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
In addition, in order to make the checkpoint a friendlier place for tourists, the Tourism Ministry will hold workshops next week to train security forces stationed there, and provide them with the skills necessary for dealing with tourists.
As Christmas approaches, some 80,000 Christian tourists are expected in Israel, and 30,000 of them are expected to go to Bethlehem during the holiday.
