Qalandiya
At Ahmad’s, or – a puzzle of life and death
On a board in Ahmad’s workshop in the refugee camp, at the lower left, is a mirror. It shows Ahmad and me. Or, as Nurit Yarden calls it – an anti-selfi.
Above the mirror are two photos of Ahmad, who’s the manager. A different Ahmad. Everyone there is called Ahmad.
In a upper photo – Ahmad, a third Ahmad, who spent 16 months in prison. I photographed him as he was arrested while still eating a sandwich.
Below, in the middle board – the faces of desperation. To their right, the Ahmad in the mirror and the Ahmad who was in jail. Above – an infant, a relative of one of them who doesn’t yet know what the future holds for him.
And to the right – A poster of Ali Khalifa who was murdered at dawn of the first day of Ramadan 2011 when he passed among the homes of residents of the refugee camp and knocked on their doors to wake them and was shot in the back by a soldier.
I took most of the photos on the board and brought them to their subjects, like I do to the children.
Adults are also children.
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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