Qalandiya, Sun 6.10.13, Afternoon
Translating: Ruth Fleishman
Tear gas was shot out of the checkpoint. But who cares that tens and perhaps hundreds of human beings, among them babies and elders, were inhaling the toxic gas, chocking, suffocating and tearing?
Two or three boys and another one that joined in, with sharp stones, fingers making the V sign and obscene gestures as rude insults came out of their parched throats- got the army dancing to their tune. But who cares that the security guard that came out of the vehicle checkpoint and took/stole from the man who sales pillows "ten unites"?
Only after we busted in to the checkpoint (= the army's definition for a situation when someone enters the checkpoint or passes in spite the order given, an action that endangers the lives of Palestinians but not ours) and we confronted Rafi the policeman, who wouldn't admit or deny, but let it slip that the pillows would be returned and only then was stolen property given back to its owners.
It was all because he (the pillow salesman) was standing at a place he wasn't permitted to be, the security man explained the educational motive for the act. 
There were many military vehicles on the main road, much more than on ordinary days. It might be because of the incident on the previous night at Psagot in which a child was injured. All the radio reports kept say that Psagot was near the village El-Bira, and El-Bira is after all by the entrance to Ramallah, and in the spirit of the official Israeli representatives it has to be asked: What kind of design was behind this? Why was El- Bira and Ramallah build so close to a settlement?
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
-
