Stories from Qalandiya: ‘I Only Follow Rules’

By Tamar Fleishman

That is the story of a Palestinian father, who shouldn’t be allowed to be along with his unwell son, sit by his mattress, or maintain his hand as he takes his final breath, because of the horrific Israeli occupation.

I noticed a baby with most cancers on the Israeli army checkpoint of Qalandiya. He was solely accompanied by his mom and I requested a medical group member the place his father was. 

“It’s a well-known reality,” the Palestinian paramedic informed me. “Fathers are usually not allowed to be with their youngsters. There may be nothing I can do about it”.

“I don’t make the principles, I solely comply with orders,” the Israeli soldier stated, when requested. 

As a consequence of this inhumane rule, the daddy suffers tremendously, the kid misses him and the poor mom finds herself alone, helpless, in a wierd surroundings the place she is aware of no person.

It is a story of a Palestinian youngster named Ali, and of his mother and father. 

Ali was solely 11 months outdated when he arrived on the Qalandiya checkpoint from Tulkarm, on his method to the Augusta Victoria Hospital, in East Jerusalem.

Ali suffers from kidney most cancers. He was accompanied by his mom, a younger, bewildered girl who had by no means been to a wierd metropolis earlier than. She didn’t understand how far the hospital was, and he or she had no concept whom she would possibly flip to if she wanted assist. 

She requested the Palestinian medical group member to go together with them, however he too – a resident of the Occupied West Financial institution – was not allowed to proceed his journey with Ali and his mom and he didn’t know anyone in Jerusalem.

The paramedic requested me if I had any contact there, however personally, I barely knew the place the hospital was situated. 

After I noticed the terrified look on the mom’s face, I made a decision to name my pal Vivy Sury, who gave me the variety of a nurse on the hematological ward of the Augusta Victoria Hospital.

A ray of hope brightened the mom’s face. 

Nonetheless, I didn’t have time to rejoice: one other ambulance carried a younger Palestinian man from Burkin. He was injured within the eye whereas working in a wooden store. It took him three hours to acquire the required permits to cross the Israeli army checkpoint.

For your entire time, the injured man sat in his ambulance, along with his mom and medic. Within the occupied West Financial institution there isn’t a correct medical facility to deal with this sort of damage and his solely likelihood is to get to the St. John Hospital, which specialised in eye surgical procedure.

However for Israeli troopers, this doesn’t matter they usually stored him ready, oblivious to the truth that his situation is worsening by the minute.

(Pictures: Tamar Fleishman, The Palestine Chronicle)

 (Translated by Tal Haran. Edited by Romana Rubeo)

– As a member of Machsomwatch, Tamar Fleishman paperwork occasions at Israeli army checkpoints between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Her reviews, pictures and movies could be discovered on the group’s web site: www.machsomwatch.org. She can be a member of the ‘Coalition of Girls for Peace’ and a volunteer in ‘Breaking the Silence’. Tamar Fleishman is The Palestine Chronicle correspondent on the Qalandiya checkpoint.