Qalandiya
A man recounted the army’s invasion of his home: how at 2 a.m. his family woke up from the sounds of banging on their door, how the door lay broken on the floor, how his wife and their children were frightened and anxious, how the soldiers invaded and made themselves at home.
He said they had come to arrest someone, but did not find that someone in his home nor has he any idea whom they were after. He only asked the commander who would pay him for the broken door. “My ass will pay you” said the commander, and added: “You’re rude”, threatening that if the man continued to speak he would be placed in the army vehicle outside and his wife and children would remain by themselves.
The man spoke no more, nor ask questions nor complain. He only counted his heartbeats and waited for the soldiers to leave. But this nightmare had its own pace and time, and when the soldiers finished going over all the rooms and corners of the house they proceeded to the veranda and sat there for another three hours. Dawn came and only then did they leave.
This happened three months ago, but the man remembers every moment and every sound as if it were today.
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Mahmoud has been held in Ofer prison for over three weeks, waiting for trial.
His brother says he was caught in Jerusalem. That Mahmoud has been already caught four times in Jerusalem, and that if it were the first or second time he would have been dumped back in the Occupied Territories. But the fourth time means arrest.
Apparently, only the fourth time makes a man dangerous to state security.
The brother also said that family members saw Mahmoud when he was brought to court for extension of remand. They saw him from a distance. For family members are not allowed to sit in the first row of the courtroom, only in the back row. And then a date was set for his trial.
The attorney whose services were hired hopes the sentence will be “only” a few thousand shekels fine rather than a prison term.
Until then, Mahmoud is held in custody at the Ofer army prison.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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