Hizma, Qalandiya
At the edge of the refugee camp stood a memorial wall dedicated to the five camp-born persons murdered by Israeli soldiers. The wall of martyrs.
The army destroyed this wall as well as the workshops and businesses standing next to it.
“They said shots were fired from the roof” told us one of the business owners there.
If indeed shots were fired form the roof, obviously they were not fired by the owners. But they are the ones to bear the punishment, as is wont under occupation.
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Regardless of shots fired or roofs, and without any warning, in its capacity as demolition contractor, the Israeli army demolished – to the ground – the resting area of bus drivers.
The lavatories structure was ruined, the water cooler disappeared, and the coffee corner razed. They didn’t leave a single stone in place.
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The soldiers at the checkpoints are like selectors at club entrances, only more so.’
Both types carry out racist profiling and discriminate between those eligible to enter and those who are not.
A Hebron resident who arrived at the checkpoint with two sacks filled with green almonds, 10 kilograms each, wished to sell the almonds at the Damascus Gate (of the Old City of Jerusalem) but failed the selection. “You can go through, not the sacks”.
The unwritten law stipulates: a few almonds, yes. A lot – no.
At Hizma:
“They have taken everything already. They have taken the lands, they have taken our livelihood, now they want to take my goats” said old Abu Raed, of whom people say his goats are his life.
The army has ordered Abu Raed to demolish his sheep pen.
A few months ago a soldiers’ outpost was positioned up the hill, near the sheep pen.
The four-legged neighbors must be disliked by the invaders.
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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