Qalandia Checkpoint and Prisoner Hunger Strike

So, two things happened in terms of news events while I was in Palestine. The first is the car bombing at the Qalandia checkpoint, which I briefly mentioned in my post on Wednesday. There is a photostory about the bombing on Electronic Intifada. There were a total of seven Israeli soldiers killed. There were also two Palestinians killed and thirteen wounded. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack. I was nervous earlier because the first taxi I took from Tel Aviv on the way in dropped me at a transfer stop just outside the Qalandia checkpoint in order for me to switch to a taxi that could take me to Bethlehem (there is a complicated system of permits in Palestine that I don't think I fully understand).

The other thing that happened was that a group of political prisoners in Israeli prisons started a hunger strike on Sunday. There is a brief article about this in the NY Times: Palestinians Fast in Israeli Prisons (if you don't have a NYT subscription, Login: mediajunkie Password: mediajunkie).

Oh, and by the way, if you've been reading all of my bitching about the settlements, just take a look at this.

Sharon Allows 1,000 More Settler Homes in West Bank

I'm pissed. You should be too.