Qalandiya
Because of the many restrictions of movement, because of the general sense of suffocation, and because there’s no knowing what tomorrow brings, and especially because of the nerves caused by being stuck and home and missing the children and youths of Qalandiya who wait from week to week and are happy to see their portraits from the previous meeting, and smiling at the camera for our next meeting – all of these and more made me come here again.
I met, and gave, and took pictures, and listened, and talked a bit, and mostly smiled – with them, about them and at them.
And I heard that Israel imposes general closure beginning tomorrow, Monday, from 7 a.m. on.
General closure is always valid for Palestinians, not Jewish settler-colonists.
One transport driver said that when he drove workers to Israel this morning, the soldiers said that from tomorrow on, no more crossing. Whoever wishes, will have to stay inside (Israel) from tonight.
Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a convoy of vehicles sped by, flags waving and happy honking. A friend said this is what’s done when someone’s come out of jail…
For a moment there the pandemic was forgotten, everyday pains disappeared, and a flash of hope broke through, a man whose freedom has been regained.
And here’s a bonus photo for terrible times. Keep it, or delete it, as you wish.
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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