Qalandiya: The peddlers, children, teenagers and adults, returned to the streets
On the way to the area called “red” in Israeli army lingo, through the metal bars I saw what had remained form the pogrom that took place two weeks ago on the Palestinian side of the checkpoint.
What had remained from the many robbed objects that had once been the trampled life wagon of a person and is now an empty testimony of this person’s destruction.
One must wonder and ask:
- Where were the stands, weights, equipment and thousands of shekels taken to?
- To which place, and to whom came all that was robbed two weeks ago from people who are at the bottom of the human hierarchical scale?
- What do these soldiers tell their parents at the end of a day of such activity? – Father, mother, today I robbed the livelihood of people? Today I beat up innocents who only wish for a livelihood?
- Is this also considered “significant service”?
- Or perhaps vis a vis the starvation in the Gaza Strip, that which is done here in the West Bank is considered small change?
I feared that after the violent armed of the people finding their livelihood around the checkpoint, I would no longer meet the children, the boys and the adults making the rounds with their wares, but life is stronger than the rules and raids of the armed men.
Most people, acquaintances young and old, are now making the rounds or standing still with their wares held in their arms. Some have spread them on the concrete blocs that separate the traffic lanes. Some have even made substitute carts.
Both know that it is only a matter of time until the violent armed men raid them again. But the need to bring home “bread and milk” (as they say) is stronger than fear.
The strong wind chased me away even before dark, but those who do not enjoy my privilege had to stay exposed to the weather…
Location Description
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 FleishmanApr-16-2025Qalandiya: summer fruit
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