November 20, 2003

Elizabeth got up early this morning and left in a shared taxi headed towards Tulkarem. Hamra and Tayasir checkpoints have become next to impossible to cross, so traffic headed south from Jenin district now has to go all the way to Anabta, near Tulkarem. There, people can usually walk across the new metal gate closing the road and board shared taxis and buses on the other side.

Mosaic of the burial of Christ - Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

That is what Elizabeth did today. The bus going to Qalandia checkpoint hadn't gotten far before we were stopped at a "flying checkpoint," basically a few jeeps and soldiers set up anywhere on a road and stopping traffic. The line was long, and the movement slow to imperceptible. Closer to the head of the line was another bus run by the same company, so those of us on board were advised to disembark and walk up to board that one, in order to get through faster.

After perhaps an hour, the UN van waiting ahead of us was allowed to pass and it was our turn. We were all told to get off the bus and turn in our IDs. After a while of standing outside, men lined up along the roadside and women in a huddle, the soldiers finished checking the IDs and waved us on. We loaded up and moved on, amid mutterings of nushkur allah, thank God we passed safely.

The rest of the passage to Qalandia checkpoint was long but uneventful. Most of Elizabeth's fellow passengers then lined up to enter Ramallah or dispersed to find shared taxis going to other destinations. Elizabeth walked a bit to find a shared taxi headed into Jerusalem, which eventually filled and took a round-about route toward the Old City. Only one checkpoint later, we arrived and Elizabeth walked into New Gate and to the hotel where a hot shower was waiting for her. The trip took just under five hours.

The Ethiopian compound on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Jerusalem

Marthame meanwhile spent the morning running errands around the Old City. Once reunited, we made and ate sandwiches (with cheddar cheese on dark rye bread!), topped off with tangerines before going out to the Holy Sepulchre for a penultimate visit to that astounding church. In the evening, we walked to a supermarket to buy raspberries and a nice selection of ice cream (another treat for us) - our contribution to dinner with friends. It was great to see them, to have a delicious meal and get feedback on three segments of our film.

nov03Mudeif Office