Qalandiya - the atmosphere grimmer than ever
As I was driving on road 4, headed for Qalandiya, as the radio constantly broadcast patriotic songs and reporters sounding the national erection, without warning the air was sliced with warning sirens and missiles blowing up – which all woke my dormant demons and accelerated my heartbeat.
Cars in front of me and at my sides stopped along the sides and in the middle of the road, and their drivers ran out to prostrate themselves by the roadside.
I continued driving, with the image of the man following whom this bloody round began – the image of Khader Adnan who had fought for his liberty with his endless hunger strikes, a man who was blameless and was not tried with due process but rather imprisoned as an administrative detainee and tortured time and again.
Hunger strikes were his only way to shout against injustice and denial of freedom without any kind of horizon nor choice.
Ever since Khader Adnan was abandoned to his death by the State of Israel, his image haunts me.
I visited him several times at Asaf HaRofe Hospital, where he was hospitalized when his body gave in during his previous hunger strike.
In spite of the prison wardens’ prohibitions and threats by the ward’s chief physician, at times together with my friend Anat Matar and at others alone, I managed to get through his meticulous guards, speak with him and pass messages to and from his family.
Because of these visits I was even arrested, held by the Ramla police and had a file opened against me.
Reaching Qalandiya, I was welcomed by Abu Ahmad calling out, “Netanyahu son of a bitch!”
The atmosphere was grimmer than ever, for here and there it is the same people, the same sentiment, the same solidarity.
I took leave of my adult acquaintances and turned to my child-acquaintances who were gathered around me to receive their own portraits.
With them I was approached by a woman who has been welcoming me happily and warmly for weeks, a woman who at times sells greens for a living, and at other times – as this time – collects empty bottles and cans. She too, like the children, wished to be photographed like the children, and she too will receive her portrait the next time we meet.
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-31-2026Qalandiya. Human remains or clothing remains
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