Experiencing the Holiest Night of Ramadan at a Palestinian Checkpoint

At the Qalandiya Checkpoint in the West Bank, people have to pass through a really messy place to reach one of Islam’s holiest sites during Ramadan. It’s full of dirt and trash everywhere!

On Monday, lots of Palestinians from different areas of the West Bank went through a checkpoint controlled by the military so that they can visit Jerusalem and pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This happened during Laylat al-Qadr, otherwise known as “The Night of Destiny”. It’s an important night because Muslims believe it to be the night when God revealed the Quran to Prophet Mohammad long ago.

At the Qalandiya checkpoint, it was chaotic and really hot outside. But people followed a very specific system – women were directed to go right while men went left. People from Jerusalem had their own spot and those with a disability were put in an area as well. There was a group of solemn-looking men standing in the corner, who had waited for hours just to be rejected access all together.

Deia Jamil, a 40-year-old Arabic teacher from Ramallah expressed his heartbreak at this rejection: “I hoped that I could get permission tonight, because it’s Laylat al-Qadr”.

“But, he couldn’t go. ‘It was forbidden’,” he said as he dropped to his knees, praying on the ground.

Going to Al-Aqsa mosque, which is one of the most important places for Muslims during Ramadan, is normally something everyone wants to do. But hundreds of thousands of people are not able to enter Jerusalem because of security restrictions from Israel and aren’t allowed in if they’re under 55 years old. And so many people have had to resort to tough and dangerous ways just to get a glimpse during this special month.

This year, the Israeli government eased some rules regarding who can visit Jerusalem. Women and kids under age of 45 don’t need a permit to go there! People aged between 45 and 55 with a valid permit are allowed to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque which is an extremely important holy site.

The Temple Mount is a really important place for Jews because it’s the home of the Temples from the Bible. This is a big problem between Israelis and Palestinians since both groups have different ideas about who should control this special spot, which can sometimes cause fighting.

Israel says that it wants to make sure all faiths can worship freely, and so they set up some rules to help keep their country safe. Last month, a person who came from the Palestinian village called Nilin tried to hurt people in Tel Aviv by shooting at them, which resulted in one Israeli dying and two others getting injured. But even though these rules are put in place for safety reasons, it still effects Palestinians badly.

Noureddine Odeh, a 53-year-old, was feeling upset as he watched his wife and teenage daughters pass through the checkpoint. He couldn’t enter because Israel had raised the age limit for male worshippers and he was not old enough anymore. “It’s like they have all the control over who can go in,” he said.

The Israeli authorities did not say how many requests from the West Bank and Gaza they have rejected. But this month, around 289,000 Palestinians have gone to Jerusalem for praying, most of them from the West Bank and a few hundred from the Gaza Strip.

Israel recently let West Bank Palestinians take flights from the Ramon Airport in southern Israel instead of flying from Jordan like they usually do. A few days before Ramadan ended, the Israeli defense agency that handles Palestinian affairs announced that Palestinians now have an option to use the Ramon Airport.

On Laylat al-Qadr, which is a very important day for Muslims when they pray to have their wishes come true, a lot of people were trying to go through Qalandiya. Due to the number of people, the Israeli forces had to keep closing and reopening the barrier there. The people got stuck in long lines and many hadn’t eaten or drank all day so some fainted from being tired and hungry. The Palestinian Red Crescent said about 30 people passed out at that checkpoint on that busy religious holiday.

Five women, who were studying to become midwives and had never been outside of the West Bank before, were squeezed together on a crowded bus. They all talked about what they wanted to do when they finally got to Jerusalem – buying food, eating sweets and having a picnic in Al-Aqsa courtyard! Sondos Warasna (20 years old) was excitedly telling everyone her ideas for their trip.

The courtyard of a big limestone building in Palestine had lots of people gathering each evening to break the fast during Ramadan, which is a religious holiday. But problems started when Ramadan and Passover (a Jewish Holiday) clashed with each other this month. Israeli police came in and started using stun grenades and arrested many people who wanted to stay in the mosque. Muslims from all around the world were very angry about this action, so much that militants from Lebanon and Gaza fired rockets at Israel as revenge.

At Qalandiya, people were really mad about not being allowed to enter a special place. A lot of young girls and grown-up men thought they had permission but were turned away because Israel placed secret bans on them that they didn’t even know about. Everyone was confused as to why this was happening, as it is part of a system the Palestinians consider unfair due to Israel’s occupation which has lasted for 55 years now.

A 16-year-old girl from Jenin felt so scared when her parents left the city and entered Jerusalem without her, she called them right away. Before trying again, a 19-year-old from Ramallah changed her clothing, put on sunglasses and even lipstick.

Some people thought of other ways to get to the special place – like climbing over Israel’s big wall or going under some sharp wires.

Early Monday morning, Abdallah and 6 of his friends from Hebron took a dangerous journey to make it in time for Laylat al-Qadr. They climbed up a seemingly unstable ladder and then slid down using a rope on the other side. On top of that, they had to pay someone around $70 to help them navigate the barrier. Abdallah was so scared during this adventure because he thought people would hear his heart beating.

The Israeli military recently caught a lot of Palestinian people who went through holes in the fence that separates the two nations during Ramadan. They also said they will keep looking out for potential danger due to these breaches in the fence.

Abdallah said it gave him great joy to visit Jerusalem’s Old City. But he soon became anxious because police were everywhere and he was worried that they might ask for his ID. To stay unnoticed, he dressed like other people in the city – wearing casual clothes often seen on athletes – and smiled so that he looked relaxed.

He said that it was a strange feeling, knowing at any point he could be arrested, but visiting the mosque made him feel free.