Qalandiya, Sun 25.3.12, Afternoon
Translation: Ruth Fleishman
Photos:
Starting afresh
Once the vegetable stalls were here
At the endless traffic jam at the entrance to the checkpoint, a bus driver had the top half of his body hanging outside, he addressed Roni and said: "Tell the people from the Association for Civil Rights to come here, so that they see what goes on, I've got a lot to tell them". And a by passer asked: "Write, tell people about this place
…"
Since soldiers lead by people from the administration had raided on the peddlers at the checkpoint and its surroundings, old Abu-Suliman's cart, who sells candy for a Shekels and salted Lupines for two Shekels, is positioned outside the entrance to the checkpoint construction. Because peddlers are forbidden to stand inside roofed construction, according to the directive of the municipality and the soldiers who abide by its dictation. By Abu-Suliman's cart, Fadi placed a fruit cart that was only half stocked.
Fadi still hadn't recovered from the financial loss that he suffered after the entire merchandise of that day was thrown away, a thing that happened not before the arrival of the representative of the administration who drew a camera in front of him and in a humiliating and embarrassing gesture, immortalized Fadi's image as he stood by his source livelihood.
Everyone fears the return of the representatives of the occupation who impose law and order. No one knows when and from where might they appear and who will be the victims next time, but the people around there know, after years of standing there, that the current tranquility is temporal and fragile
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But the law of survival and that which existence necessitates are forceful and plenty, and the loss of work days is a privilege that the Palestinians here can't afford.
And just as before, like the phoenix, they rise up from the wreckage and destruction and start over again.
And what had up until a few days been fruit lane by the side of the main road, gives evidence to what took place that day. That lane is still deserted and his now the lane of filth and garbage.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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