For the record, and for the archives, here is an extended excerpt from a totally-justified rant against the hell of Qalandia checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Qalandia checkpoint is, indeed, a shame and a scourge, and can never be denounced enough:
“I still remember the time when this checkpoint wasn’t in existence and our journeys between Jerusalem and Ramallah didn’t take over 10 minutes by car, today is a different reality. Qalandia checkpoint was first established back in 2000 as a simple checkpoint; it consisted of fences and some plastic barriers. Israeli soldiers manned the checkpoint 24 hours a day; they were accompanied with either tanks or military jeeps. No one thought this checkpoint was going to be a permanent checkpoint and that it will last long. There was another checkpoint only five minutes after it by car; people thought Qalandia was just extra provocation that will soon be removed.
As the days passed, Qalandia checkpoint faced upgrades; concrete blocks were added and a lane for pedestrians was added too. People started to lose hope that this checkpoint will be removed any time soon; but instead it will become even larger. Soon after, Qalandia was turned into an official checkpoint, more soldiers were manning it, more concrete blocks were added, and fences and metal bars appeared to designate different lanes everywhere for cars and for pedestrians as well.
Qalandia at those times was the place everyone wanted to avoid, but none could. In winter, Qalandia area would be filled with mud, Pedestrians will get out of Qalandia as if they got out of a mud pool. When it rains, water often rises to high levels causing some cars to break down due to lack of underground sewer system and well paved roads. While in summer, Pedestrians had to wait for hours in the heat, cars stuck in the traffic jam would break down and the smell due to left out garbage itself would be extremely irritating, The Jerusalem municipality was responsible of Qalandia area, but they barely ever do their job. Nevertheless, the Traffic jam at Qalandia was never eased; it was always filled with cars no matter what the time would be…
“Tens of thousands of Palestinians had to cross this checkpoint daily to get to their work, to their businesses, to their schools (as is my case). At that time (before 2006), the Israeli Apartheid wall wasn’t fully set in place yet, some people managed to go through different routes to get into Jerusalem and avoid having to go through the hell of Qalandia checkpoint.
The Qalandia you see today might seem different or more comfortable than that which was over 6 years ago, but the humiliation and suffering went nowhere, only increased.
It was all sudden that we went to Qalandia one morning and saw a whole new checkpoint being constructed; it didn’t take long to be completed. The new checkpoint came along with the Apartheid wall which was built and completed in al-Ram and Qalandia area around 2006, it was considered by the Israelis the borders of their state, and beyond that checkpoint lays the occupied West Bank even though the checkpoint was over 10km into West Bank territory.
The daily routine didn’t stop, but now even more people had to pass through Qalandia every morning to get to their work or business since all other paths were blocked by the Israel Apartheid Wall. Qalandia became a central checkpoint, the only gate hundreds of thousands of Palestinians could pass to enter Jerusalem only if they’re carrying Israeli issued permits or Jerusalem ID cards. Of course not to mention over a million other Palestinians now unable to even breathe the air of the holy city of Jerusalem since the Apartheid Wall and Israeli checkpoints laid a complete blockade all around the West Bank...”
Read more, and see the photos here.