Qalandiya: between two memorial days
Coming to Qalandiya on a day between two memorial days is like stepping in and between bleeding wounds. Theirs and mine. Of the past and of the present.
Much blood is spilled here and there, and there is no consolation, no bandage to assuage the pain. The pain is no longer a topic of conversation, one only nods one’s head in silence and swallows the words.
Pain becomes a part inseparable from one’s body, as though it is fated that only heaven’s grace – as the Palestinians say – can assuage it. The bitter truth, however, is that fate has nothing to do with it. The fault lies with people.
Bad days are these when little girls and elderly women must go out to the streets and roundabouts to beg for pennies.
For years I have known Fadi and made friends with him, we have always maintained a meeting routine that includes smiles and mutual greetings.
This time he was despondent, silent and ashamed, sitting beside his strawberry crates and the sour cherry tray. On my return I asked how he was. He summed it up with one word: shitty.
An acquaintance standing close by said that an armed policeman coming out of the checkpoint yelled at Fadi – who was sitting as usual at the Palestinian entrance to the checkpoint – to scram. But I’m disabled, said Fadi and already took out and presented the documents proving his disability. I don’t care, go away! The policeman roared.
But Fadi cannot fly, even plain walking is difficult as two years ago, with the complications of diabetes, he was operated on in Ramallah and his foot was amputated.
In order to get out of the shady spot where he had been sitting as usual to the far place permitted by the policeman, cab drivers helped him and his goods.
Now he is sitting beside the source of his livelihood covered in cardboard to keep it out of the seething sun, and his face lit up with a smile despite the bad, harsh day, still ashamed.
I could not help but remember that person (his name is safe with me) whose entire family was murdered in the Holocaust. When asked whether things could get any worse, he answered: Yes, it could get worse if we were the murderers.
But that’s the point – we are.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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