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| Entering the city of Ramallah. |
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| Israeli guard tower at Qalandia Checkpoint. |
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| Graffiti on Wall of President Yasir Arafat and Marwan Barghouti. |
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| This road leads [to] the Palestinian Authority. The entrance for Israeli Citizens is Forbidden, Dangerous to your lives, and is against the Israeli law. |
The city of Ramallah located in the West Bank, Palestine is just 6 miles north of Jerusalem, but it will take you an hour to get there either through the Qalandia Checkpoint or on roads that lead around the Separation (Apartheid) Wall. It is the defacto captial of the Palestinian Authority and serves as a strong political, economic and cultural center for the Palestinians. Entrance for Israeli Citizens is forbidden, as is exit for the Palestinian residents who live locked under Israeli military control.
I have visited Ramallah dozens of times in during the last 16 years -- and almost 40 trips to Israel-Palestine. The food is amazing. The hospitality is always warm. And, the city offers great hope for the future of Palestine. I pass easily through checkpoints using my American passport, but for Palestinians who aren't allowed to pass through at all -- it is a prison.
