Qalandiya
Three functional tracks were set in front of the checkpoint:
A for women
B for men
C for those turned away
In between was sterile territory. It was absolutely forbidden to mix A and B. Whoever went wrong or tried to choose the wrong way on account of some difficulty or physical handicap – was immediately corrected and sent away.
This was the fate of a blind man who came from Ramallah and asked to be able to continue on track A, and was answered – “Only in a wheelchair”. But there was no wheelchair. He asked again, entreating, pleading. “No, only in a wheelchair”.
This “only in a wheelchair” answer was used to get rid of a cancer patient who showed them documented proof of his illness.
He, like others, had to drag their feet in the heat and the potholes to the other side, meant for men, and hundreds of meters away.
It is wrong to understand the Palestinians’ silence as accepting or surrendering to their fate.
Talks with them show this is the consequence of despair, accumulated and held by the collective spirit and there’s no knowing from where or when or how they will end up exploding.
Three functional tracks were set in front of the checkpoint:
A for women
B for men
C for those turned away
In between was sterile territory. It was absolutely forbidden to mix A and B. Whoever went wrong or tried to choose the wrong way on account of some difficulty or physical handicap – was immediately corrected and sent away.
This was the fate of a blind man who came from Ramallah and asked to be able to continue on track A, and was answered – “Only in a wheelchair”. But there was no wheelchair. He asked again, entreating, pleading. “No, only in a wheelchair”.
This “only in a wheelchair” answer was used to get rid of a cancer patient who showed them documented proof of his illness.
He, like others, had to drag their feet in the heat and the potholes to the other side, meant for men, and hundreds of meters away.
It is wrong to understand the Palestinians’ silence as accepting or surrendering to their fate.
Talks with them show this is the consequence of despair, accumulated and held by the collective spirit and there’s no knowing from where or when or how they will end up exploding.
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-25-2025Qalandia: West Bank man injured in both legs
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