Qalandiya - “The worst of it all are the kids in jail”
“The worst of it all are the kids in jail”
As it happens after a forest fire, when the flames die down and out of the scorched earth green grass begins to sprout all over the burnt area, so does the human survival instinct.
In spite of the destruction sown by the representatives of the ruling authority, people return to seek their livelihood in the place where they had been attacked. They have no other choice.
The roundabout that had been assaulted by guns and cranes, where all the improvised shops had been confiscated, has returned to its former look.
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I was told that the owner of the bus had to pay nearly 8,000 shekels before he could have it back.
The entire time, all over the site, groups of man-hunters, representatives of the Israeli Border Police and private security firms ambushed workers returning from their worksites, in the hopes of catching those who left for work that morning without the appropriate permits.
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I do not advise the hunters or their bosses, but it doesn’t seem wise to me – looking for the coin right under the lamp.
“I was released from prison not too long ago”, said some I hadn’t seen for quite a while. It’s not his first time in jail. He was guilty of transporting and bringing into Israel Palestinians with no entry permits.
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Proper disclosure:
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I also once hired him for the sake of someone whose daughter was lying in a Jerusalem hospital so that the father could sit next to his lonely daughter there.
Was it terrible? -No, not terrible. We’re already used to this. For us, older guys, it’s a bit like being in camp with friends.
The worst part is the children in jail – 13- and 14-year-olds. For us older guys it’s already a habit, not for them. For them it is terrible even while we, older ones, keep an eye on them and take care of them.
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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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