An Israeli jeep was perched on the hill overlooking the checkpoint, it's search light periodically shining on the masses.

A few photos from our vacation to visit with family friends in Finland.

Ihe Israeli Ministry of Interior for Arab Jerusalemites, resembling a prison even more when closed than when swallowed up in masses of waiting people.

We headed into town to meet up with friends from Birzeit and AAUJ . An enjoyable evening was spent relaxing by the pool, playing guitar, and singing.

She was eager to share horror stories of trying over the years to get permissions for her kids to leave (although they are Belgian citizens, they are also Palestinian, and are treated by the IDF as such) and then her own visa to return (she's never been granted a Palestinian ID even though she's been married for many years).

Today we worked at our assigned volunteer activities at Star Mountain, Elizabeth cleaning cabins and doing remedial landscaping; Marthame assisting with webdesign for the institution.

The Syndicate of Palestinian Journalists had organized a memorial march for Mazen Da'na, a Reuters cameraman and the second Palestinian journalist to be killed by US forces occupying Iraq. According to the official US account, a soldier mistook the Da'na's camera for a grenade launcher. It was to be the award-winning cameraman's last day in Baghdad.

Our driver, who is from Zababdeh, had gotten a fake ID to cross that very checkpoint; like the rest of the population, without special permission, he is not allowed to travel out of his home district (but allowed to return to it). So he got an ID listing his home district as on the other side of the checkpoint (hence allowing him to cross it); on the way back, his Zababdeh ID would do the trick. But not today.

We spent a day in Zababdeh, running errands and trying to stay cool.

What was yesterday's headline? "Israel agrees to ease Palestinian daily conditions." We have yet to see it.

In many ways, it's been a good summer.

Some of the students in our program have been working with the Birzeit student activities committee to prepare an event together at the end of our term.

Their logic is similar to that of the Israeli army - we are in a state of truce, but that doesn't prevent us from engaging in incursions and assassinations. Hamas is also holding to the truce, but that doesn't prevent them from carrying out retaliatory suicide bombings.

The summer semester is winding down, with only this week to go, so we are trying to get the most out of the last few days.

The Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions (ICAHD) work camp is constructing a Peace Center on the site of the Shawamreh Family home which has been demolished four times. A large group of internationals and Israelis were there, working with Palestinians on the site, which was impressive for only two days of construction.

In many cases, it's simply a case of squatters taking over other people's homes. They are then protected by the Israeli government.

Since Oslo began, the number of settlers and the size of their settlements increased twofold, and only 18% of the Occupied Territories came under Palestinian control. For people who expected a viable state in the 1967 borders by 1998, the real results of Oslo were meager and frustrating.

Our good friend and fellow Birzeit "alum" from two years ago, is taking some vacation days from his job in London and visiting Israel and Palestine.