Qalandiya: many West Bank inhabitants have turned into uninvolved victims of the Gaza war
It is sad to see children whose childhood has been robbed as they work.
It is doubly sad to see children who have just turned five already taken out to the labor market.
It is sad to meet girls who until two years ago, until the endless war in Gaza erupted and caused closure of all inhabitants of the West Bank, girls who were closed in their homes until then – now, as their fathers are out of work and food is missing at home – are at present out with their brothers in the street gathering a few shekels for the family’s livelihood.
It is sad to meet the person whom, twenty years ago, I knew as a child – now that he is a young man with a family and no work, the need to feed his household has pushed him again to the streets and he wanders them, defeated, offering for sale the same goods he sold a generation ago.
These persons, children and youth called “vendors”, are in actual fact forcibly beggars, for there is no child nor adult who would willingly exit his home and wander distant streets and many kilometers to persuade drivers and pedestrians to place in his hand a few coins in exchange for goods which the “buyers” don’t really need.
It was sad to meet a former acquaintance, a defense attorney at the military court in Ofer Prison. We stood and talked for many minutes.
The man told me about the state of the persons incarcerated, about their starvation, the dozens of kilograms that drop off their body, and Ben Gvir’s harmful rulings.
All I could answer the man were groans, more groans and unbearably sorry words about reality that has turned so many of the West Bank’s inhabitants into victims uninvolved in the Gaza war.
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 FleishmanFeb-16-2026Qalandiya CP: shortcut
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