Qalandiya - the checkpoint is empty due to the Purim Holiday
I meant to write about the Purim closure that prevents passage from the West Bank into Israel, about the few who are allowed through and the many who are not, about the children who, in spite of the sparse public and the excessive cold, continue as they must to chase drivers and offer their measly wares, to write about the fact that this closure ‘celebrates’ Purim which is not really a holiday but a day of joy about hanging ten children. I also meant to write about the desolation of the checkpoint on a day of closure.
But after I wrote all of the above, I decided to turn everything topsy-turvy and quote a few lines by Albert Memmi:
“The country conducts itself at the pace of the (occupier’s) traditional holidays, even the religious ones, and not according to the indigenous ones; the weekly day of rest is that of the ‘mother’ (occupying)-country, while his flag waves above the memorials, and his own ‘mother tongue’ is the one that enables social comings and goings, as his dress, accent, customs are destined to be dictated by the occupier’s imitation of the occupied. The occupier does take part in the upper world, and cannot automatically harvest its fruits.”
Portrait of the Occupier, Hebrew translation: Avner Lahav
The other thing that stood out there on this cold winter day was the gap between people. Ones who by chance became permanent residents of Jerusalem when Occupation took hold, and are therefore entitled to be vaccinated against the pandemic and receive a green passport, and their relatives and neighbors who hold green IDs (Palestinians of the West Bank), not entitled to all these favors that the regime showers upon its citizens and residents, so that not only are they crushed by apartheid laws – they are literally made prey of the pandemic.
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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