Palestinian woman gives birth at Israeli checkpoint

Friday September 07, 2007 12:59 by Nisreen Qumsieh - IMEMC News

Israeli sources revealed that a Palestinian woman from Al 'Ezariah gave birth at the military checkpoint near Abu Dees just north of the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Friday morning.

Illegal Wall near Abu Dees

The same sources said that an Israeli border policeman prevented the woman from passing through the checkpoint on her way to a hospital in Jerusalem leaving her to give birth in the street.

Before the building of the illegal wall Abu Dees was a neighborhood of Jerusalem. It is now considered to be part of Bethlehem and therefore behind the wall.

The woman, who came with her family to the checkpoint asking for permission to go to the hospital, gave birth near Ma'ale Adomim settlement which was constructed on Palestinian town of Al Ezariah before having the access to pass the checkpoint.

Israeli sources said that the family of the Palestinian woman arrived at the checkpoint and asked for permission to pass so that she could reach the hospital. However she gave birth to her child before permission could be granted although she was attended to by border police under the directions of Israeli physicians using a cell phone. The woman and her new-born child were later transferred to a hospital in Jerusalem.

jerusalem | israeli attacks | news report nisreen at imemc dot org