Qalandiya, Sun 29.11.09, Afternoon
Our 29th of November, their Id El Idha
"This is meant to humiliate us"- said an old man when taken off from the bus together with the other passengers.
It was difficult that afternoon to refuse that claim, as well as that of an acquaintance of ours, who in a ton of acceptances said: "Its because we have a holiday".
Since it was a holiday, masses of people had arrived, dressed in their best clothes with the elderly and their children, whether in their privet cars of by public transportation, with intention to pass the checkpoint and visit their relatives.
Not only were there no relieves but the usual restriction were even more "restrictive":
- – "The age reduction"- which on occasions allows the elderly and the children to pass the checkpoint while staying inside the bus- had been annulled.
- – The vehicle owners that are allowed to pass with their car- were sniffed by a "civilian dog" guided by a civilian, overlooking all of them were the rifles of the civilian guards.
An armored police jeep was conducting in the square in front of the refugee camp, by the teenagers and peddlers, what is called in the IDF lingo: "violent patrol"- it drove round and round, making squeaking noises with the brakes and deafening sounds through the loudspeaker, it was clear that they sole purpose was to provoke the crowd. The whole time, the person sitting by the driver was aiming his rifle at who ever passed down his way- more longing to pull the trigger then fearing something might happen.
The vehicle kept driving in front of the shops, round the cramped line of cars waiting in front of the checkpoint, until one teenager took up the gauntlet- his picked a stone and to the delight of the policemen, through it at the car.
Some guards standing behind the checkpoint fences also got the chance to enjoy themselves as they were watching a couple of young women folding up a baby's stroller, after all the gate that was destined to serve those with strollers is out of order.
On the other side, a truck driver from Kufer-Akeb was less than happy, when he was told by the soldier at the vehicle checkpoint that he had to head back since they don't inspect merchandise in Qalandia. Yes, he knew this already, but the only cargo he had were empty plastic boxes, you could see they had no content as it was possible to look through them and see the other side. The soldier insisted. Orders must be obeyed and there was no way he wasn't going to do as she says. But the man, who had his two little sons sitting beside him also insisted:
"I don't have any explosives, I don't have any bombs, its all empty… "
"Yalla, Yalla… I could (we failed to hear what she could)"
"Don't you threaten me, and don't you tell me Yalla Yalla!"
"You are holding everyone up".
"You are the one holding them up, not me!"
The soldier called the police and Shaul the policeman arrived. He looked cross and authoritative. For starters he rebuked me: "you know you're not allowed to take photos here!", then he continued by taking care of the defiant driver by telling him he should listen to the soldier. The driver insisted: "she is full of it, those aren't the rules!"
But the ending of this event could have been foreseen, half an hour that encounter between the Palestinian driver and the armed soldier, the policeman backed up the soldier, who in her turn also got a bit of fun. The driver headed back with his two sons and the empty plastic boxes.
Id-Sa'id.
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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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