Qalandiya: Closure inside of closure inside of closure inside of closure…
About three years during which every day feels like eternity…
The whole West Bank except the colonies has become a disaster area.
In years past, Palestinians knew the Jewish holidays, when and why there were closures, the changing dates of passage from other dates. No longer. Day by day, the want and fear increase, threatening.
Thus, an acquaintance, who until that time had told me he had not enough money to feed his family, now says he does not even have enough money to get cigarettes. Cigarettes are, as one knows, is a basic commodity in a wanting society.
Because of Israel’s government policy, since October 7th the millions of Palestinians living in the West Bank are locked inside their residences without any possibility of work and livelihood, while Israel denies them even the tax money it is committed to pass on to the PA, so there is no possibility of paying salaries to workers in the public sector. Thus, the school week is shortened since this affects the entire education system.
Most Jews turn a blind eye not only to the massacres, starvation and epidemics in the Gaza Strip but to this fact as well – see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing.
I have but to return to our memory expert, Primo Levy, who wrote of another event in another century: At the same time, the German silent majority used the popular technique of trying to know as little as possible and not ask questions. (Paraphrased translation from “Auschwitz, a Peaceful Town”)
It is not just permitted – it is a must and our duty to make this comparison.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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