Qalandiya - "Look, you are not alone"
New/renewed signs welcome those reaching the checkpoint.
There is nothing like signs and flags all over to fortify the feeling of the ruler that he is right, but the tens of thousands for whom the facility and its endless accessories, the real “clients” of this evil place, do not pay any attention to the signs or flags – they only wish to reach their destination without being shot or arrested. They do not come here of their own choice. They are forced to do so.
‘First in is first out”, said people and told me that Mohammad, the first of the Tamimis being arrested and spending time in Hadarim Prison, was released at dawn and is free again. “For the time being”, one added.
For in the reality of Palestinian life, one might always be arrested all over again.
At the intersection of roads surrounding the checkpoint from the outside, a group of acquaintances surrounded me with their stories about their latest troubles: out of money, out of food, no work, no permits, no end to insult and injury.
An Anata inhabitant described the situation well: for two years he has been building his home and now, reaching the final stages, money ran out just before he bought floor tiles. What did he do? Collected any tiles he found at construction site waste piles, as motley as they come. At least now there is a floor, even if it looks odd.
A vendor child resting on the road, on bare concrete like some forgotten kid.
The reality dictating that a child his age has to help feed the family is in itself an unforgivable injustice.
This misery that has no reasoning arising from the way he looks echoes a phrase by poet Avot Yeshurun:
“Look, you are not alone”.
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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 FleishmanFeb-16-2026Qalandiya CP: shortcut
-