traveling time

Last Saturday I drove with my son to Goshen for his third year in college. The trip was going well and we were making good time though the Illinois State Police had a much higher presence than normal. The trip to Goshen normally takes between 5 and 6 hours with traffic near Chicago being the variable. This time we cruised through Chicago without any trouble, stopping only at the toll booth. Then we got to the Indiana line and traffic came to a stop. We moved very little for the next 3 hours so a trip that should have taken us 6 hours ended taking us 9 hours. Now I know that isn't all that long to be in a car, but when you planned on 6 and your son is anxious to see his friends after a long summer of putting up with his parents it isn't the most pleasant situation. We found out later the delay was because the east bound lanes were covered by water from the heavy rains.
When I was with the CPT group in the West Bank, anytime we were delayed Jenette, one of our leaders would remind us that what we were experiencing was minimal compared to what many Palestinians need to deal with. According to B'tselem an Israeli peace group Israel has 78 checkpoints in the West Bank and that most of these are not on the border, or entrance into Israel. Because of the checkpoints traveling with in the West Bank has become much more difficult. A trip from Hebron to Jericho which we were told should take around 2 hours can routinely take over 9. In addition to the regular checkpoints there are also "flying checkpoints" which can be set up anywhere. We were told that at the checkpoints Israeli authorities can check such things as tire pressure, engines, go through luggage, in addition to checking ID's.
In the previous post I included a picture of the main checkpoint Palestinians need to go through to go from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. Palestinians from Bethlehem need a permit to travel to Jerusalem, and even with a permit, going through the checkpoint can easily take 3 hours. Because of the checkpoints and the hassle and indignity involved, many families have stopped traveling causing extended families to lose contact with one another. It is one of the ways that life is made more difficult for many Palestinians as they go about trying to conduct a normal life.
So If I remember the words of Janette, when I remember my three hour delay on the trip to Goshen I should remember the plight of the Palestinians, which I will do, but also hoping the next trip to Goshen goes much better.
marcus