Qalandiya: Soldiers raided the refugee camp looking for stolen goods
It was an unusual sight, a kind of mystery – at the place intended for the (faulty) procedure of transferring ill patients from one ambulance to another as if they were some wares, a procedure called in Israeli army lingo “back-to-back”, dozens of vehicles were scattered of various types and ages, some whose windows and doors were closed and others wide open.
On the other side of the checkpoint, the Palestinian side, an acquaintance living in the Qalandiya refugee camp told me that two days earlier soldiers raided the camp. The performed violent patrols in the camp alleys, broke into houses and searched them, claiming they were looking for stolen goods, and that the twenty or so vehicles in the car-park next to the vehicular checkpoint are a part of what they found.
The raid that began in the early morning lasted until 7 p.m. Only then did the soldiers leave the camp.
In hindsight, the owners of the broken-in houses found out that money and valuable jewelry had disappeared.
In a reality where every injustice has a halakhic verse that justifies the crime, even the saying “he who steals from a thief is exempt from punishment” will not justify the thieves, the looters wearing army uniforms.
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At the eastern side of the checkpoint, on deserted, torn easy chairs, a bunch of men and I sat down for a friendly talk. It covered the war. Everyone had something nasty to say about Ben Gvir, claiming that his conduct and takeover of Al Aqsa Mosque, their holy of holies, is the ultimate evil. We also spoke of the bitter fate of common acquaintances who are – who knows why – incarcerated for many months already.
Then Ayman joined the company – “This is poor Ayman”, they said.
He wished to have his picture taken, asked me to bring him his photo the way I bring the children theirs, and said that a month ago he came to the DCO offices and asked for a permit to work.
I don’t know whether Ayman fits the criteria, and if there even are criteria for no permits have been issued for a year now and unemployment reigns. Anyway, the soldier who received Auman’s ID did not return it. It has been swallowed in some unknown black hole.
For a moment I thought that what I was seeing opposite the refugee camp was a mirage. However, going into the shade it was fully revealed, regally munching on dried grass.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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