Qalandiya: Abdallah has been released after a year in the Israeli military prison
Abdallah has been released after a year in which he spent in an Israeli military prison without anyone knowing why and for how long.
Acquaintances I met said that Abdallah was freed a week ago, that he is terribly ill, and upon his release was hospitalized in Ramallah. That Israel didn’t want to release him but because he was so ill and it was afraid he would die there, they had to release him. That he weighs 40 kilos less than he was, and that it’s all because of Ben Gvir who promised to starve prisoners and kept his word, that all those held in the prison are starving.
I underscore Abdallah’s story although it’s the private story of a friend of mine – for it bears witness of the general situation of many thousands still incarcerated, a society controlled by force, of youngsters who grew and are growing up in oppression and humiliation, of generations without any horizon or free elections.
I am anxious about Abdallah for he is a personal friend, but I am also anxious because of the general situation and worried about what he have turned out to be.
I became friends with Abdallah when he was still a gifted high school student, a boy with great ambition and dreams.
Abdallah and his cousin who wished to extricate themselves from the occupation burden were tested and received on scholarship by the Malaysian university at Kuala Lumpur. But man plans and God laughs…
This is the story: one night before they were supposed to leave, soldiers broke into the cousin’s home and arrested him, accusing him of owning a rifle. But there was no rifle and even a deep and violent search of the house did not yield a weapon. But the armed men do not give up easily – he was taken to jail and interrogated there for 62 days.
When released without conviction or any limitation whatsoever, it was too late to go to Malaysia and the great plan was buried.
Abdallah joined the efforts of feeding the family by selling at the fruit stand.
The years went by, Abdallah worked hard, married, took part in Ramallah courses in computer science and English, and became more strongly religious. In spite of the hardship and suffering, Abdallah did not lose his good spirit, accepting the other with a smile and generosity. Several times, occupation authorities confiscated his stand and its equipment, claiming he had no permit to trade (which he had no chance of obtaining for the place is within the Jerusalem municipal area and Abdallah does not hold the “right” ID). The stand is situated where the city plans to pave a road (that was not paved), but every time Abdallah gets up and starts over again. Until over a year ago.
I heard of his arrest from his father, an elderly ill man. “The took him as a bargaining card” he said, and had no idea why his son was kidnapped and when he would return.
Now Abdallah is free. Would be free. He is locked inside his ill body and the memory of the torture he underwent in jail.
Preparations for Ramadan:
If the barriers of concrete, barbed wire and walls surrounding the checkpoint on ‘normal’ days were not enough, the last two days have imported auxiliary forces to activate Ramadan Fridays…
Location Description
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 FleishmanApr-16-2025Qalandiya: summer fruit
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