Qalandiya, Sun 18.3.12, Afternoon
Translation: Ruth Fleishman
Precisely fifty years ago, on the eighteenth of March 1962, the French occupation on Algeria ended.
The occupation lasted 132 years.
And what about our region?- The reality that is depicted in the thousands of testimonies given by victims and thousands of oppressive rifles and the violation of human rights , indicates that the occupation is insatiable, it 
only betters its grip and perpetuates itself and invades and destroys everything that hadn't already been oppressed, crushed and destroyed.
And so, as part of the relentless bulling of the men in uniforms, "Yigal from Beit El" (so people said) stood at the head of the force that raided the fruit stands that were placed on top of mobile or immobile carts, along the road leading from Qalandiya to Ar-Ram and around the squares, he wouldn't stop before the theft and destruction were complete: equipment was confiscated, mountains of fresh fruit were thrown into the piles of rubbish that are never cleaned, and anyone
who had managed to build a shop on top of boards and canvases was threatened/promised that if he, A.- G., doesn't take it down himself by next week, the army will complete the destruction
.
Apart for the destruction that "Yigal" and his people had created and apart for the financial loss of all the victims which adds up to thousands for Shekels for each person, the livelihood for their families had been shattered and they had lost the source of income that scarcely enabled them to provide for their household members.
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 FleishmanNov-30-2025Qalandiya: Puddles and dirt after the rain
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