Hizma, Qalandiya
Out of the checkpoint in a tight row emerged two children who have not yet recovered from their operations, their chests bandaged, several children – each wearing a cap that hides a hairless scalp, a boy with an amputated leg, and with them women and men moving with the aid of crutches, a cane or human arms.
Forty-four they were, coming out of the fenced compound and hurrying to the three designated transport vehicles waiting for them at the Gaza-patient-transport platform. Before boarding one man said: look how they treat us, like prisoners, travelling to Gaza in a posta (prisoner police van).
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I came to Hizma to find out whatever happened with Rami and his dad and his dad’s car after three weeks ago DCO officials and soldiers detained it and threatened to confiscate the vehicle and its cargo.
Acquaintances told me that the vehicle and the tires it was carrying were confiscated, that after a month Rami’s dad would receive his car back and be fined, and perhaps the car will not be returned.
I asked why it was confiscated and was told that perhaps they (the army) thought that they (Rami and his dad) were intending to set tires on fire.
When “perhaps” is proof sufficient for robbing and stealing and invading homes and arresting people, while the DCO-Civil Administration’s duty is supposed to be as follows, and I quote the official version:
“The essence of the Civil Administration and its role were defined in the Military Government’s ordinance no. 947 [1] clause 2: The Civil Administration will manage the civil affairs in the region according to the present ordinance for the welfare and benefit of the local population and to provide public services, considering the need to manage functioning administration and public order.”
George Orwell could not have described any better the essence of the thought police.
Hizma
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Hizma
A checkpoint at the north-eastern entrance to the Jerusalem area which was annexed in 1967, at Pisgat Zeev. The passage is allowed to bearers of blue IDs only. Open 24 hours a day.
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Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
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Click here to watch a video from Qalandiya checkpoint up to mid 2019 Three kilometers south of Ramallah, in the heart of Palestinian population. Integrates into "Jerusalem Envelope" as part of Wall that separates between northern suburbs that were annexed to Jerusalem in 1967: Kafr Aqab, Semiramis and Qalandiya, and the villages of Ar-Ram and Bir Nabala, also north of Jerusalem, and the city itself. Some residents of Kafr Aqab, Semiramis and Qalandiya have Jerusalem ID cards. A terminal operated by Israel Police has functioned since early 2006. As of August 2006, northbound pedestrians are not checked. Southbound Palestinians must carry Jerusalem IDs; holders of Palestinian Authority IDs cannot pass without special permits. Vehicular traffic from Ramallah to other West Bank areas runs to the north of Qalandiya. In February 2019, the new facility of the checkpoint was inaugurated aiming to make it like a "border crossing". The bars and barbed wire fences were replaced with walls of perforated metal panels. The check is now performed at multiple stations for face recognition and the transfer of an e-card. The rate of passage has improved and its density has generally decreased, but lack of manpower and malfunctions cause periods of stress. The development and paving of the roads has not yet been completed, the traffic of cars and pedestrians is dangerous, and t the entire vicinity of the checkpoint is filthy. In 2020 a huge pedestrian bridge was built over the vehicle crossing with severe mobility restrictions (steep stairs, long and winding route). The pedestrian access from public transport to the checkpoint from the north (Ramallah direction) is unclear, and there have been cases of people, especially people with disabilities, who accidentally reached the vehicle crossing and were shot by the soldiers at the checkpoint. In the summer of 2021, work began on a new, sunken entrance road from Qalandiya that will lead directly to Road 443 towards Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. At the same time, the runways of the old Atarot airport were demolished and infrastructure was prepared for a large bus terminal. (updated October 2021)
Tamar FleishmanNov-30-2025Qalandiya: Puddles and dirt after the rain
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