Leaving Jayyous before 7 this morning, when Sherif and his wife left for the gate through the Separation Fence to get to their olive trees, we took a service taxi to Qalqilya, a city of some 40,000 Palestinians completely surrounded by the Separation Wall. Qalqilya too was much in the news a few years ago, until international pressure pushed the Israeli authorities to open a second exit from the city.
During my visit to Israel and Palestine four years ago I was on the Israeli side of Qalqilya’s enclosure,. I took photos of the wall from across the highway, Qaliqilya’s houses clearly showing in the sun. Knowing the crowded city was completely encircled, with entry and exit strictly limited in time and availability, made it look like a prison. This morning, inside, the city seemed more ordinary, perhaps because Palestinian entry has eased some.
But the Separation Wall looms large,
Qalqilya Separation Wall
the checkpoints as dehumanizing as always.
The view across the highway at Israel, where I stood four years ago, seemed distant.
Israel from Qalqilya
The drive back to Ramallah in the service taxi was nicely uneventful, which is to say this time we sailed past checkpoints and red-roofed Jewish settlements without delays.
The view of Al Manarah Square from Stars and Bucks, where I combined email with coffee, brought the weekend adventure to an end.
For some, life remains almost manageable.
Tags: Apartheid Wall, Jewish settlement, Qalqilia, Separation Wall