Qalandiya: “They told us the war was over, so why not open up our way?"
On Saturday Palestine held elections for local authorities, The Fatah list won.
“Money won, lots of money”, people said, and added that what happened on election day was that Fatah representatives came to homes, took people whose names appear on voters’ lists in cars, gave them money, lots of money, and food and drink, brought them to the voting poll and told them for whom to vote. That’s the whole story.
Who would refuse?
“If I were given two hundred shekels, I’d vote for whoever gave them” said a man who had no voting right.
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On the way close to the refugee camp, I met an acquaintance who, since October 7th, has had a hard time economically. The man welcomed me, saying: “They told us the war was over, so why not open up our way? This way we don’t die and we don’t live”, and added that at the end of the day, when the present rule in Israel loses and Netanyahu will no longer be the Prime Minister, he hoped that Ben Gvir would have the same treatment he instructed the Israeli Prison Service to show Palestinians held in Israeli prisons: hunger, violence and torture. “You know what Abdallah looked like when he was freed, you saw him. That’s what I wish Ben Gvir will look like.”
On top of the wall around A Ram town there are remnants, perhaps shrapnel of hope in the shape of clothing items, ripped barbed wire, ropes hanging down. Altogether and each separately express without words the story of those who managed to cross the wall and move to a place that would feed the hungry mouths at home, or of those caught and incarcerated, or shot and killed.
Location Description
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 FleishmanMay-31-2026Qalandiya. Human remains or clothing remains
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