I figure it's time to make a pilgrimage up to the Mukata’a  -a two-block compound with a white tower that is seen easily from all over the city. In it are certain government offices but the big draw, of course, is Arafat's mausoleum, which is next door to the building where he was held under siege by the Israeli Army in 2002.  It's a quiet, yet grand area, complete with marble flooring.  A long courtyard leads you into his tombstone where (as long as you aren't obnoxious or disrespectful) photographs are allowed...

Amazingly, at the checkpoint itself, there are no guards from either side of the divide. It really is an 'empty' order.  I walk through a dusty, dilapidated area (that, for some reason, reminds me of an abandoned cow shed on my friend’s kibbutz). No-one asks for my passport, where I’m heading and whether it’s business or pleasure. All I see is a sign, stating that Israeli citizens should beware, as they are now entering Area A which, technically, is illegal...