Qalandiya - people jumping over the concrete banister on their way in and out
Josh Breiner’s article on starvation in military prisons turns one’s stomach.
The thought that thousands of humans incarcerated behind these walls are tortured and starved, all of them and everything covered by the patriotic sign “Together We Shall Triumph” made it clear to me that I was excluded yet again, that I am not all of us, and mainly that starvation and indiscriminate killing entailing robbery and looting is no triumph at all, only great shame and hopefully – eventually – a trial by the world’s nations.
As for that which appears in the article, indeed I have not personally seen with my own eyes, but more than one or two persons have told me that Ahmad, brother of my friend Abdallah who is still imprisoned at Ofer, has lost many kilograms and is as thin as a string. When I looked for any member of the Tamimi family to hear some news about Abdallah or even his release, only the fruit stand of the family stood there, bear of any vendors or goods.
I had a satisfied moment at the sight of the breach in the fence that wraps the bridge, growing wider, and of the people jumping over the concrete banister on their way in and out.
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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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