Hizma, Qalandiya
As the Jerusalem ambulance carrying a patient with a Palesitnian (green) ID is not allowed to cross Qalandiya Checkpoint and must transfer the patient by “back-to-back” procedure, a woman suffering from leukemia, connected to an oxygen supply after treatment at the Augusta Victoria (East Jerusalem) Hospital was delayed for over an hour. Only after the West Bank ambulance managed to extricate itself from the traffic jam created by an accident next to Smiramis, did the said procedure take place. “Not that we lack oxygen or anything, but isn’t a shame for this woman?” asked the Red Crescent man.
The Palestinians’ car park, sequestered during Ramadan month to create a sterile area forbidden any unauthorized persons, has not yet been returned to its owners.
The compound stands deserted, closed to vehicular entry.
The result is a parking and traffic chaos.
Things I heard from taxi drivers:
- They (the Occupation authorities) only care about Jews, not Arabs.
- Talk to them. We’re suffocating here.
- We were told they were working here, but look – they’re not doing a thing.
At first they said it would take a year and a half. Then two years. How long is it really going to last?
Neither the frightening sign installed at the entrance to Hizma village, nor the large force of armed troops checking IDs and asking questions and rummaging through the car-trunks of people entering and exiting the village could beat the power of market.
In spite of a large group of West Bank Border Policemen who blocked the entrance, yeshiva students in black garb and dangling tzitziyot (prayer-shawl tassels) filled Mohammad’s shop and exited loaded with hardware.
Things I heard from taxi drivers:
- They (the Occupation authorities) only care about Jews, not Arabs.
- Talk to them. We’re suffocating here.
- We were told they were working here, but look – they’re not doing a thing.
At first they said it would take a year and a half. Then two years. How long is it really going to last?
Neither the frightening sign installed at the entrance to Hizma village, nor the large force of armed troops checking IDs and asking questions and rummaging through the car-trunks of people entering and exiting the village could beat the power of market.
In spite of a large group of West Bank Border Policemen who blocked the entrance, yeshiva students in black garb and dangling tzitziyot (prayer-shawl tassels) filled Mohammad’s shop and exited loaded with hardware.
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 FleishmanJun-8-2025Qalandiya: Emptiness in public space
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