Lawson is now fighting off a budgetary collapse of this high desert town of 2, 100, where the paved and gravel roads have no traffic signals, only stop signs -- and even those are so faded from the sun that the village would like to replace them if it had the money.

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As he did, I watched a van draw up at speed and stop with a clever drifting skid on the gravel by the kiosk.

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Even Israel has lent a helping hand, letting 20, 000 tonnes of gravel cross without the usual verification checks that it says are designed to stop Hamas from building military bunkers.

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