Qalandiya - No Miracle for Them
No Miracle for Them
Since an hour earlier I had taken leave of Gazan patients on their way home, when I saw the three women, the little one and child Abdallah sitting, desperate, in front of the DCO office, their stuffed bags at their feet showing they were headed for Gaza – I knew it was a lost case.
No matter how ill or aching they are, they will not make it home today.
But since at times miracles happen even in the dark – I stayed.
I tried to persuade those officiating in the inner offices to lift the cruel rules, and in my own mind was already planning whom to summon to give them a ride, and how to settle the price with him.
While entering the offices, running around between corridors and fortified windows, trying to make eye contact and then some conversation – Abdallah was with me the whole time.
This 13-year old is a smart kid, and most resourceful. I had an eye operation, he said, and showed his hospital release documents.
He exited the Gaza Strip with his father who is also ill, and now has to return on his own. The father is still hospitalized.
Nearing closing time, when we kept being told that Palestinians can only return to the Gaza Strip with their assigned transport, come tomorrow – there was no point in staying.
The three women, Abdallah and I dragged the heavy luggage and left.
I also learned that the people entering and exiting the Gaza Strip are forbidden to do so with suitcases that have wheels. I am certain there is a ‘security’ explanation. I just have not yet found out what it is.
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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