There is something powerful about personal experience. No matter how much you read or hear about something, there is no substitute for actually experiencing it. I have thought of this phenomenon after meeting Israelis or foreigners who, after visiting Palestine, become

emotionally engaged in the Palestinian cause.

This sense of engagement is happening to me more and more as my daily travels make concrete – literally – the difficulties of getting around the northern West Bank. On the road between Jericho and Tiberias one is struck by the changes near the Green Line.



Walls and fences are being built that would be appropriate were there a border there. The problem is this new "border" is a few kilometers inside Palestinian territory.



A checkpoint has also been moved inside the West Bank, in tandem with the newly built structures.



I have yet to hear any serious complaint about the placement of this new checkpoint deep inside Palestinian lands. I am not sure whether the reason is simply lack of knowledge, or the fact that the Palestinian leadership’s agenda is so crowded with critical issues

that other matters fall between the cracks.



Another "concrete" development is the compound being built at the Kalandiya checkpoint outside Ramallah. The Israelis have been using earth-moving equipment in the area. I have the impression they are erecting a permanent installation there.



Locals talk about this becoming the location of the new Israeli civil administration offices. At present, the civil administration – which according to the Oslo Agreement was supposed to be dissolved – is headquartered at the Beit El settlement. The more likely scenario,

however, is that the Israelis are preparing for a new border crossing point between the north and south West Bank, as well as between the northern Jerusalem neighborhoods and Ramallah.



The most troubling aspect of these "concrete" changes is not so much what exactly will become of this or that location, but the utter helplessness I and so many other Palestinians feel in the face of it.



Day in and day out we see men in IDF fatigues pointing to this hill or that lot of land, plotting, planning, scheming as if it was their own property, or part of a Lego game.



On my way to Ramallah I was able to count at least 10 huge pieces of equipment working relentlessly to remove earth to flatten it for some major installation.



I had thought the entire Kalandiya checkpoint was supposed to be removed if the two sides were to take the road map seriously.



I decided to go back and see what the road map said about these issues by checking the US State Department Web site:

"A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will only be achieved through an end to violence and terrorism, when the Palestinian people have a leadership acting decisively against

terror… the Palestinians immediately undertake an unconditional cessation of violence… such action should be accompanied by supportive measures undertaken by Israel.



"Palestinians and Israelis resume security cooperation based on the Tenet work plan to end violence, terrorism, and incitement through restructured and effective Palestinian security services.



"Palestinians undertake comprehensive political reform in preparation for statehood, including drafting a Palestinian constitution, and free, fair and open elections upon the basis of those measures.



"Israel takes all necessary steps to help normalize Palestinian life. Israel withdraws from Palestinian areas occupied from September 28, 2000 and the two sides restore the status quo that existed at that time, as security performance and cooperation progress.



"Israel also freezes all settlement activity, consistent with the Mitchell report…"

Palestinian cessation of violence has happened, both in word and in deed. The Palestinian constitution has been signed into law. Nearly six months after the death of Yasser Arafat and nearly as many months of near-total quiet from the Palestinian side, the Israelis show no

sign of returning to the September 28, 2000 intifada lines.



My frustrations increased after spending nearly two hours making my way from my Ramallah office to my apartment in Jerusalem’s Beit Hanina last Tuesday. It’s a trip that used to take me no more than 20 minutes.



When I finally reached the soldiers at the Kalandiya checkpoint, I asked them what the earth-moving frenzy was about. A twentysomething soldier told me: This will be the new checkpoint.

Playing dumb, I asked him if he thought that the newly built installation would become a permanent crossing point.



"It will be a checkpoint forever," he responded

There is something terribly powerful about personal experiences. No matter how much one reads, hears and talks about a situation, the direct connection is often much more potent. I have often thought of this after meeting foreigners and Israelis who after visiting Palestine become emotionally engaged often more than Palestinians themselves.

This is happening to me more and more these days as my daily travels bring some of the concrete (literal as well as figurative) changes on the ground become clear to the eye. Traveling in the north West Bank on the road between Jericho and Tiberias one is struck with the changes happening near the former green line. The structures being built are looking more and more like a border. The problem is that the location of this new ‘border’ is a few kilometers inside the Palestinian area. There was a check point at the former green line and now the checkpoint has been moved inside the West Bank in parallel to the newly built structure. I have yet to hear any serious complaint about the placement of this new location deep into Palestinian lands. I am not sure whether the reason is simply lack of knowing or the fact that the Palestinian leaderships’ agenda is so crowded with critical issues that some of these issues seem to fall between the cracks.

Another new ‘concrete’ development was the new compound being built at the Qalandia checkpoint. Major earth moving equipment has been working for some time. Only this week did the Israeli earth removal efforts reach locations close to the normal walking path of travelers. By exposing what has been happening in the vicinity of the checkpoint one gets the impression that a much more permanent installation will be erected at this area. Locals talk about this becoming the location of the new Israeli civil administration offices. At present, the Israeli civil administration (which according to the Oslo Agreement was supposed to be dissolved) exists near the Beit El settlement. The more likely scenario, however, is that the Israelis are preparing for a new border crossing point between the north and south of the West Bank as well as between the northern Jerusalem neighborhoods and Ramallah. When I asked some of the street merchants in the area they gave a wide variety of ideas as to what is being planned for this new open space that the bulldozers and other earth moving machines were creating.

For me, however, the most troubling point in some of these concrete changes was not so much as to what exactly will become of these new locations but the utter helplessness I and so many other Palestinians have to it. Day in day out you see men in army fatigue pointing to this hill or to that flat space of land, plotting, planning scheming as if it was their own little LEGO toy house. On my way to Ramallah I was able to count at least ten huge earth moving pieces of equipment that have been working day and night to remove earth to flatten it for some major installment.

I had thought that the entire Qalandia checkpoint is supposed to be removed if we are to take the Road Map seriously. I decided to go back and review what was said in the roadmap about these issues. The US state department web site has the full text of this plan which is called a performance based plan. In the first phase (which was supposed to end in May 2003) it is stated: "Palestinians undertake comprehensive political reform in preparation for statehood, including drafting a Palestinian constitution, and free, fair and open elections upon the basis of those measures. Israel takes all necessary steps to help normalize Palestinian life. Israel withdraws from Palestinian areas occupied from September 28, 2000 and the two sides restore the status quo that existed at that time, as security performance and cooperation progress. Israel also freezes all settlement activity."

The Palestinian constitution was signed into law by Arafat, free and fair elections took place. Nearly six months after the death of Arafat and nearly in as many months of near total quiet from the Palestinian side and the Israelis have shown no sign of returning the situation to those before the start of the September 28^th 2000 intifada.

My frustrations were exasperated when I spent nearly two hours to make it from my Ramallah office to my apartment in Jerusalem’s Beit Hanina late Tuesday April 20, a trip that used to take me no more than 20 minutes. When I finally reached the soldiers at the Qalandia checkpoint, I asked them what the earth moving frenzy was about. A twenty-year old told me: this will be the new checkpoint. Playing dumb I asked him if he thought that the newly built installation will become a permanent crossing point? "It will be a checkpoint for ever," he responded.

I was intend on not repeating my experience yesterday when I spent nearly 2 hours making the short trip from my office in Ramallah to my apartment in Jerusalem’s Beit Hanina office. The problem is that I could have made it in a lot less time by going the bypass road which I would be allowed to by the Israelis because I have a press card, but I had wanted to be like every other Palestinian and as a result I found my self stuck in the long line at the Qalandia checkpoint.

I made it in time. But wonder if the 70 shekels I saves were worth my nerves. On a second thought I realize that it had nothing to do with saving money as much as my constant search for adventure. I tell myself, that in the end, I know I will have a story to write about.