After three hours of waiting in line at the Qalandia checkpoint under the shadow of Israel's separation barrier, 73-year-old Julia Saabah finally manages to cross to "the other side" and head for her home in Jerusalem. Although she has faith in newly-elected Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, Saabah has little hope he can do anything to save his people from "the wall" which the Palestinians say is turning the West Bank into one huge jail.
"Mahmud Abbas will not be able to get us out of this prison," she sighs, glancing up at the towering eight-metre (25-foot) concrete wall which looms over the checkpoint.
For the Palestinians, Qalandia, which is home to a sprawling refugee camp of some 17,000 souls, is the main gateway between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah.
But no one can cross between the two cities without passing the checkpoint, which will soon become part of the huge barrier which Israel is currently building across the West Bank.
Since dawn on Tuesday, the daily reality of stringent Israeli security checks has been back in place following a 72-hour period when the Jewish state eased its hold on Palestinian areas in order to make it easier for people to vote in the presidential elections.
Israel says the West Bank barrier - a montage of concrete, razor wire and electric fencing - is designed to prevent the infiltration of suicide bombers.
But for the Palestinians, the barrier which often juts deep into their territory is little more than a land grab and a crude attempt to pre-empt the borders of their future state.
"The wall only serves to separate Palestinians from Palestinians. I have to cross here if I want to visit my daughter even though both of us live on Palestinian land - her in Ramallah and me in (annexed) east Jerusalem," she sighs, walking hesitantly past the soldiers.
Yet Saabah, who comes from a Christian family, voted for Abbas and says she believes that "even after the television cameras have gone", the new Palestinian leader will keep his promises.
"I'm old and I'm tired of this war. The world has to understand that this wall is robbing us of any hope of peace," she adds, before disappearing onto the "Israeli" side to find another taxi to take her home.
Thousands of Palestinians cross through the Qalandia checkpoint every day.
"Rather than being happy for Mahmud Abbas, I feel sorry for him that he won the elections. He has promised us he will negotiate with Israel but he will never get an agreement," says 50-year-old lawyer Mahmud Karrayn who is on his way to Ramallah.
Like in other parts of the West Bank, the Qalandia section of the barrier has become a blank page on which scores of people vent their frustration and anger with graffiti.
"The West Bank - the Palestinian prison" reads one slogan. "Get out of here" and "We are not terrorists" read others, painted in bold letters just yards from the checkpoint.
"I've been looking for work for eight months. The intifada has made me poor but I believe the armed struggle must continue until we get what belongs to us," explains Mohammed Malah, a 35-year-old father of five.
Malah, who lives in Qalandia camp, also voted for Abbas in Sunday's election and trusts that the new leader will be "strong and faithful to his people and manage to get our land back".
"Before, going to Jerusalem took us 15 minutes, now it can take hours and you also need a permit," Malah complains, admitting he last visited the city when he crossed illegally during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.