Qalandiya, Fri 12.8.11, Afternoon

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Observers:

Roni Hammermann, Ruti Barkai, Vivi Zuri and Tamar Fleishman (reporting); Guests: Bia from Berlin and Mark from Barcelona

Aug-12-2011

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Afternoon

Translating: Ruth Fleishman

Second Friday of the Ramadan 12.8.11

At the break of dawn of every Friday during the Ramadan month world orders change. From that moment on the laws that regulate the occupation at Qalandiya all these years, every day of the year, that define a person's "validity", that create a profile with which it is decided whether or not he is a threat- are replaced. Deferent laws and rules, deferent in essence and in source, take their place for several hours.

Usually the highest authorities to decide whether a person is granted or prevented passage at the checkpoint are the mysterious representatives of the secret services. During these four half days the date of birth on the person's ID is the only decisive factor.

Any other day of the year the individual must trouble himself to arrive at the gates info-icon ' of the authorities, wait for hours in endless lines, hand in a request explaining the reasons why he would like to be granted a permit (=Tasrih), after all it is unthinkable that someone might pass Qalandiya checkpoint on a simple whim. Only after being inspected and coming out "clear", according to their judgment, that is: if it is found that no relative of his has been accused/ arrested/ taken for investigation or either accidently or intentionally injured by military forces, and he himself is not found to be a devious schemer, only then will he be granted an authorized and signed permit.
And then suddenly, during these half days, when an elder hand exhibits before the military man standing at one of the gates of the checkpoint, an open ID that proves his age, the person will pass the imaginary border and enter Jerusalem.

But as secret services narrow the criterions that define whether elder pose any threats, it appears that the Palestinian children only grow more dangerous.
Usually a Palestinian child is granted permission to pass when escorted by a relative and a birth certificate (=Kushan), proving that he has yet to turn 16 (the age when he ceases to be a juvenile). During these days, it would be unthinkable to grant a boy or a girl over 12 years of age, permission to pass.

Perhaps it is due to exhaustion and adaptation that everyone accepts this.
In view of the innate contradictions between these passage rules and the ones implemented on other days, one cannot but notice that those who are responsible for the harsh restrictions well as for these temporal reliefs, aren't asked to give any answers regarding the reasons for this drastic change in the categories defining this large population as a threat, and whether there is a necessity to use the restriction all days of the year.

But the facts show that none of the relevant active individuals- the ones executing this policy at the checkpoint, the victims of this system- nor the passive individuals- that observe, document and report, confront the heads of this system and the policy makers with the awful dissonance arising from the paradox of the policy change that had been described here. After all, it's not possible nor should it be accepted or ignored that an entire population is categorized as a ticking bomb.
Have we grown accustomed and by so have our senses been dulled?

Location Description

Qalandiya Checkpoint

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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)

Apr-5-2024

Tamar Fleishman

Qalandiya: Four women from Nablus are refused crossing the checkpoint to pray

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