September 10, 2001

That question has now been answered. None of the three drivers who go between Zababdeh and Ramallah are moving. The main road is shut. Shut shut. So Marthame prepared to take the chain of numerous taxis that would wind their way back north (best estimate, 7-8 cars in 5-6 hours). As he walked out the door, he got a call from Ramallah from a professor at the Arab-American University of Jenin who was headed up there today. Talk about luck...

This image from our trip last year to Hebron stands as a reminder of the omnipresence of the Israeli military here.

We met at Qalandiya (between Ramallah and Jerusalem) and headed down to the Jordan Valley. The first route we tried was at Hamra, where Elizabeth was turned back yesterday. But no Israeli-plated cars and no foreigners were permitted. Still no help from the US Consulate, so we headed back up the Jordan Valley and tried coming in through the northern border at Jalame. We noticed three tanks headed towards the same checkpoint and wondered about their presence. After a few minutes at the border, we were permitted through and arrived at the University shortly. It is, simply put, exhausting to deal with this on a regular basis.

Marthame met a couple of the new English teachers, these arriving last week from Scotland. Their families (like ours, we're sure) wonder about their sanity periodically. But it has been a long time since any incidents have happened close to Zababdeh.