A UFO landing zone in the middle of the checkpoint?

“For fifty years we have been told that the Occupation will end. For fifty years we keep saying the Occupation will end. Fifty years and it’s only getting worse” said an acquaintance of mine as we sat down for coffee.

First they confiscated the car park at the front of the checkpoint, demarcated the area with tin sheets, crushed the asphalt to smithereens, heavy equipment worked tirelessly, digging, razing and destroying.

When the entire area became a pile of rubble, circular lanes were paved at varying heights.

I don’t know whether this is an interim phase or the finished product, but those who come here have nowhere to park and probably won’t in the future, at least not in the foreseeable future.

Whoever comes from Jerusalem to the West Bank or vice versa and must cross this compound as a pedestrian, has to be careful not to trip among stones nor fall down slopes or make an effort climbing uphill.

The onlooker at this stylishly paved area might think she has accidentally happened upon a UFO landing strip.

So where does one park one’s Palestinian vehicle?

Either far away, or crowded at the roadside behind, where fast grabbers have taken over and charge protection fees. Whoever improvises, parking at the edge of this quasi-renovated car park might find a parking ticket on his windshield upon her return to the car. After all, this is Jerusalem municipal area, isn’t it?