Road Rules

After several trips to Bethlehem, the route was beginning to seem familiar, but as we left Ramallah, we stopped at a checkpoint that I didn't remember. “Are we on a different road than usual, or is this checkpoint not usually here?”

My friends told me that we were, in fact on a different road. “This road is only for international NGOs.” I was confused. A road for international NGOs? “Yes, only international NGOs can pass that checkpoint.” Who would have built such thing, and to what purpose? It seemed contrary to the mission of aid organizations to further segregate the country, but I couldn't think of anyone else who would build a road for them.

I pressed further, and it turned out that the road was not just for the international NGOs—it was a settler road, but doctor's, government representatives and people from international NGOs have permission to pass the checkpoint at its entrance.

I'm no longer shocked every time I see a wall, but still thought it odd that an ID card from an American NGO got an entire car of people onto one of the closed roads. Suhaib's AmidEast ID also gives him permission to go to Jerusalem (though I'm pretty sure it won't get an entire car through that checkpoint).