Hizma, Qalandiya

Qalandiya and Hizma
 

A tour of officials from the Coordination Unit throughout the checkpoint indicates the coming Ramadan month.

Policeman Tomer said that “for Ramadan we have paved the road for them”, pointing to the area where passengers to Al Aqsa Mosque board buses on Ramadan Fridays.

Closure on the village of Hizma has been lifted and now any resident and non-resident may enter and exit at will. However, the soldiers’ presence at the village entrance and beside it is still evident – perhaps a reminder, maybe a threat. Or perhaps someone has forgotten to tell the soldiers to leave.

Construction of the wall parallel to the fence encircling the village was completed the day after I was at Hizma (so I was told by a villager on the phone).

Behind the completed wall several homes remained with families including quite a few children attending school in the village.

But the question how the children of these isolated families would get to school none of the Israeli decision-makers, planners and implementers has been altogether ignored.