Qalandiya, Sun 25.8.13, Afternoon
Translation: Ruth Fleishman
This is how it works under the occupation, the one holding a rifle is permitted to shoot the person standing before him, and the one standing on his own land with a stone in his hand is the offender.
Omar Thamimi is eight teen. His during his childhood and adolescence he was in pain as he suffered burn injuries
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But that is not our story. The story is about Omar Thamimi who had seen tens of thousands of people crossing Qalandiya checkpoint during the Id-Al-Fitr, longing to see the sea. Omar also wanted to go to the sea. He took his 14 year old cousin Mahmud along with him, and together the two of them headed to Tel-Aviv. This didn't have a permit nor did they approach the authorities to ask for one. They simply headed to Tel-Aviv.
What the two teenagers didn't know, was that despite the fact the hundreds of their people were dipping in the sea of Tel Aviv, the human hunters were not being idle. Omar and Mahmud were hunted down at the boardwalk. The cousins were separated, Mahmud was taken to "Ofek" (Horizon) – a prison for children and adolescents (what cynical name for a prison…) and released after four days. Omar was brought to "Hadarim". At some point Omar was taken to court. He doesn't remember when or where this was, everything was so different from what he had knew and was familiar to him up until then, but he does know and remember that he was held at "Hadarim" for twenty three days.
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Because, this is how it works under the occupation, the one holding a rifle is permitted to shoot the person standing before him, and the one standing on his own land with a stone in his hand is the offender.
This wasn't Omar's first time in prison. He was caught as child while throwing stones during a demonstration at Nebi Salah and was incarcerated.
At the DCL offices during closing hours, when most of the rooms where already deserted, we joined two men- a father, who is a lecturer at a university, and his 24 year old son who is an engineer. They were waiting for a permit to grant the son permission to return to their home in Gaza
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The Palestinian DCL offices in Gaza had reported that the permit was ready and waiting at DCL in Qalandiya, but the computer said "no!".
The soldiers that understood that the two men and two women (us) were determined to stay there until they issue the document, tried to untangle the knot that was created by the two authorities. The father didn't give up, he called all the hot lines over and over again, it was evident that the man had connections and was familiar with the regulations. Just before five o'clock the computer was satisfied and the permit to return home was printed.
Now the two had to hurry and cross Qalandiya checkpoint, which during the afternoon is packed with people, and arrive at Erez checkpoint before seven- when it closes.
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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