We took the route through Eliyahu Gate, in direction of Deir Sharaf. Passed through the village of Nabi Eliyas; passed by Azzun.
Dominating the top of the hill: house of Moshe Zar, who doesn’t allow the Palestinian owner of the trees around the house to approach or take care of them.
In the village of Jinsafoot, on the right side, a positive sight: some people are building houses.
The village Funduk get limited electricity and water. In most places, we notice piles of garbage: lack of awareness both of those who drop it and of those who don’t feel compelled to remove it.
As we approach Kedumim, stretching over the hilltops, we remember Daniella Weiss, the infamous leader of the Price Tag gangs.
The road ahead leads to Nablus and displays big red A- signs reminding those who drive by that beyond them are A—lands, entry to which is forbidden to Israelis.
To the left, we see lovely new olive groves, which areabout 5 years’ old, according to Nadim’s estimate.
Some stones on the sides of the road are all that is left of what Aliya remembers as a huge checkpoint,  Beit Iba. Built twice, and later pulled up overnight, the wall was where Palestinian workers stood under sun and rain, waiting to be checked and allowed to pass. A covered part was built later. The stones (and some junk) remind us that here, as in other places, now they no longer need to queue on their way to and from work, medical treatment, university, etc. Further down, bulldozers are busy digging up a quarry on both sides of the road. Other workers make tablets for both villas and cemeteries.
We arrive at Deir Sharaf, where three furniture stores, a butchers’ shop, and a Mini Market store display their wares. We stop to talk to Jamal, the owner of the Mini Market, who smiles as Aliyah, an old friend enters. Jamal tells Aliyah about a recent episode. Some time ago, he and some other Dir Sharaf business-owners put up security cameras outside their shops to protect them against robbery. About a month ago, some Army people came to his shop and to those of his neighbours, and demanded their cameras; Jamal and the other businessmen complied with the request peacefully. The Army people then took away the cameras without offering any explanation (or some kind of compensation). They haven’t yet returned the cameras.
Further on, a sign announces that Bizarriah is a road built with US financial help.
At Machsom Shavei Shomron an Army jeep waits but doesn’t stop passing vehicles. As we pass the big wall of the Moshav, we see a second Mishmar Hagvul jeep, parked.
We pass by Anabta, with another red A sign. Here too, another Machsom was closed down. Aliya recalls, there used to be a locked yellow iron gate. People would arrive in one taxi to one side of the gate, leave it, cross over to the other side & take a second taxi. More significantly, ambulances arrived, the stretcher with a sick patient was taken out and then transferred, on the other side, to a second ambulance. About 4 years ago, this locked gate was opened from one day to the other, without any previous announcement.
Sha’ar Ephraim Checkpoint. No problems for those going to hospitals. Frequented usually by merchants in the early morning and afternoon.