Small checkpoint; big inconvenience

Israel's Al-Jib military checkpoint northwest of Jerusalem is only for use by local residents who have a number on the "list." It is a small facility, but it is the only way through the separation barrier for many miles, so it poses a serious inconvenience to the Palestinians.

Mahmoud, who lives in the village of Biddu, says he used to be able to commute to his job in Ramallah in 7 minutes, but with the separation barrier it takes him an hour and a half, and costs him $10 in bus fare.

Ibrahim, who lives in Jerusalem, comes through Al-Jib checkpoint two or three times a week to bring food to his elderly grandmother. Usually he passes through without problems, but he says sometimes the soldiers arbitrarily delay him for questioning. "It makes my life miserable," he says. Ibrahim is pessimistic about the future, and is especially critical of U.S. policy. "Obama has forgotten his background and the suffering of his people." He adds, however, "We have hope that one day we will see real freedom and live as human beings."

Another man told us he has land on the other side of the separation barrier, but has difficulty getting a permit to work it. Two women told us they felt embarrassed by soldiers when passing through Al-Jib. A couple of girls who cross to get to school said that once every couple of months they are arbitrarily denied entry, and their parents have to come to get them.

Hilltop village of Nabi Samwil

We saw a school bus from the village of Nabi Samwil (see blogs of March 20 and February 24) bringing students home through the checkpoint. The bus had to wait for a couple of minutes for the soldier to get back to the cabin to open the gate, but nobody boarded the bus to check the students. One local resident said the treatment depends on the soldier. Some require the students to get off the bus and walk through the checkpoint.

Giv'at Ze'ev

From the checkpoint we could see the nearby Israeli settlement of Giv'at Ze'ev in the West Bank. (Settlements in occupied territory are illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention.) The settlement has direct road access to Jerusalem. Palestinians have just a small tunnel under that road to get to their communities.

Tunnel under settlement access road

Remember poet Robert Frost's words:

"Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was likely to give offence.
Something there is about a wall,
That wants it down."