Qalandiya, Mon 30.6.08, Afternoon

Har Shmuel, Givon Hachadasha, Chal
Chaleile, Givaat Zeev, Qalandiya

We entered Har Shmuel through the Beit
Iksa CP. A resident told us that the settlement is combined of two communities,
a religious one and a secular one. There are three synagogues. The building is
vastly on going (we saw that). Before the entrance to the settlement, on the
road that leads to Bidu there is a concrete blocks check point that serves the
passage of Palestinians holding work permits, they are not allowed in unless
accompanied by the contractor who hires them.

We continued to Givon Hachadasha,
passing over the "life enabling" (מרקם חיים) road that is seen deep down connecting the
Bidu enclave with Al-Gib.

From
Givon surrounded by many fences,
including a Palestinian house in its midst, we went to Givaat Zeev via a small
group of houses called Chal Chaleile. At the local garage we saw a car with
Palestinian plates. Apparently Palestinian cars are allowed to get up to there.

At the eastern entrance of Givaat Zeev
we stopped to talk to a worker who just crossed the road.
He complained that his
house has been demolished and that he has to live in a tent. Behind us honked
loudly a bus. The driver stopped and came angrily out of his car, he wrote down
our plate number and warned that we will be severely punished.

At the check point east of Givaat Zeev,
by the filling station we saw a few Palestinians, returning from work,
accompanied by their employers.

From there to Qalandiya, two signs welcomed us; one from the ministry of environment forbidding
disposing of rubbis, the second not recommending Israelis not to enter the
Palestinian authority.
The traffic went through quite regularly. We accepted the
recommendation and returned home.