Qalandiya

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Soldiers at checkpoints

Observers:

Vivi Suri, Aya Kanyuk; Translator: Charles K.

Dec-10-2014

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Afternoon

Human Rights Day at Qalandiya is one more day of citizens denied rights.

If, as far as the IDF is concerned, security requires live fire in response to stone-throwing, demonstrations and approaching the separation barrier, today a few distant youths could barely be seen trying to burn tires, nor were there “disturbances” after Ziad Ibn Ein, the Palestinian minister, was killed in a demonstration this morning.

A weekday on which the Palestinian population has to be here because it’s their home and their streets.

Today, like every day, is one during which the occupying rulers have rights, the lords who demonstrate their superiority by the large number of canisters of tear gas grenades hanging from their shoulders. Like peacocks displaying their feathers the soldiers fire bursts of tear gas enjoyably with a satisfied expression, while two foreign television crews film. When one crew packed up so did the soldiers, into the checkpoint area; when the other crew appeared (CNN) the soldiers emerged again, approached the vehicle road and fired, threw and lofted tear gas grenades and more and more percussion grenades.

Continual bursts fired at everyone going through the checkpoint, tear gas grenades at all the cars in the nightmarish traffic jam. Men and women passengers trapped in cars, trying to protect their faces with their clothing.

Gas fired at all the pedestrians, women, children and elderly, not only as a cliché but actual mothers carrying babies in their arms and doing all they can to wrap them in blankets. A mother who had no blanket was given tissues and quickly pressed them against her infant daughter’s face, mothers trying to find a route with fewer clouds of gas, hoping to avoid the next grenade. Elderly people barely able to cross the road, grasping their chests, others taking one step forward and two back to get through the billows of gas which covered everything.

And the soldiers are smug, self-satisfied, smiling, having a good time (that’s my impression, and that’s how I’m reporting it). One throws grenades making no effort to aim or hit a specific target, his colleague behind him hurries to replace the empty cylinders with new ones.

A window and bars open in the guard tower and a soldier with a smile on his face throws a grenade and drops the empty cylinder to the ground, again opens the window and bars, throws a tear gas grenade and drops an empty cylinder, closes the window for a moment or two and again throws a gas grenade and drops an empty cylinder.

A youth selling ice cream sandwiches who dared to walk on the traffic island was called to by a group of soldiers and as he was trying to understand what they wanted a percussion grenade was fired toward him. We then approached and shouted at the soldiers but their looks of satisfaction remained.

When we left a few hours later the “battles” continued, with a large quantity of gas and many explosions aimed at battered, oppressed people.

Location Description

Qalandiya Checkpoint

See all reports for this place

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: The men who were refused passage, return

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