Qalandiya - a day after the killing of Iyad alHalak by border policemen
We spoke about the murder of Iyad Al Halaq as if he was not someone he had never met.
We spoke about the execution of Iyad Al Halaq not as if it were the fate the person Iyad Al Halaq, but as about something that might happen to anyone who is a part of the Palestinian people.
Because here, at Qalandiya refugee camp and the nearby checkpoint, where the ground is filled with the blood of so many martyrs, murder in the guise of fear for the lives of the murderers is simply not credible.
As I crossed the checkpoint, opposite the woman-soldier-inspector, as I was instructed to remove my surgical mask and sun glasses, again (like a week ago) I felt a bit like a Muslim woman demanded to remove her hijab (head cover)*. Again, (like a week ago), it did not suffice for them – the inspecting soldiers – to know with certainty that I am I, once more, my ID was taken from me, again I was delayed, and again the security guard left the post with my ID in his hand, and talked with someone somewhere: “There’s this Jewish woman here…” I did manage to hear that.
The fact that they have everything – but everything! – on their computer screen did not suffice, and only after talking on the walkie-talkie and on the telephone with someone who checked what this Jewish woman looks like who suddenly popped up here on the unexpected side of the checkpoint, only after thoroughly looking into the matter, did I get back my ID and my freedom.
To my question why I was detained, the security guard answered that it was for my own safety, for there, where I just came from, stones are very often thrown at Jews.
*True, there is no comparison between me – so privileged – and a Muslim woman with or without a head covering, but that was what crossed my mind.
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 FleishmanNov-30-2025Qalandiya: Puddles and dirt after the rain
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