The barrier in northern Jerusalem, which confines Kalandia village (in the north) to an enclave under Israeli control.
Qalandia (Arabic: قلنديا, Hebrew: קלנדיה), also Kalandiya, is a Palestinian village located in the West Bank, between Jerusalem and Ramallah, just west from the Jerusalem municipality boundary. The village had a population of 572 residents in 2017.[1] Qalandia is also the name of a refugee camp, established by UNRWA in 1949. It is located just east from Jerusalem municipality. Qalandia refugee camp was built for Palestinians refugees from Lydda, Ramle and Jerusalem of the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight.[3]
History
A large Jewish farmhouse from the late Second Temple period has been discovered in Qalandiya.[4][5][6] Occupied from the Hellenistic period until its destruction during the First Jewish–Roman War, the site includes two large structures and rock-cut industrial facilities, including wine and oil presses.[5][6] The presence of two miq'vaot and typical stone vessels indicates the site's Jewish identity.[4] Excavations yielded two complete amphoras, several amphora fragments,[4] hundreds of coins, potsherds, chalk vessels, metal objects, jewelry, and various tools. Nearby exploration revealed burial caves, winepresses, cisterns, and quarries.[5][6]
Ancient tombs have been found at Qalandia.[7] A Byzantine bath has been excavated, and pottery from the same period has also been located there.[8][9]
During the Crusader period, it was noted that Qalandia was one of 21 villages given by King Godfrey as a fief to the canons of the Holy Sepulchre.[7][10][11][12] In 1151 the Abbot leased the use of the vineyards and orchards of Qalandia to a Nemes the Syrian and his brother Anthony and their children. In return the convent was given a part of the yearly production from these fields.[13] In 1152 Queen Melisende exchanged villagers whom she owned for shops and two moneychanger counters in Jerusalem. All the names of the Qalandia villagers were Christian, which indicate that Qalandia was a Christian village at the time.[14][15]
Ottoman era
Qalandia, like the rest of Palestine, was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1517, and in the Ottoman census of 1596, the village, called Qalandiya, was a part of the nahiya ("subdistrict") of Al-Quds which was under the administration of the liwa ("district") of Al-Quds. The village had a population of 15 households, all Muslim, and paid a fixed tax rate of 33.3% on wheat, barley, olives, beehives and/or goats, in addition to occasional revenues; a total of 3,900 akçe.[16]
In 1838, it was noted as a Muslim village in the Jerusalem District.[17][18]
In 1863, the French explorer Victor Guérin visited the village, which he described as small hamlet consisting of a few houses with fig plantations around them,[19] while an Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed 16 houses and a population of 50, though the population count included only the men.[20][21]
In the 1945 survey, Qalandia had a population of 190 Muslims,[26] and a land area of 3,940 dunams.[27] 427 dunams were designated for plantations and irrigable land, 2,202 for cereals,[28] while six dunams were built-up.[29]
An airstrip to the east of Qalandia was built by the British army in 1925. It was located a few kilometers
north of Jerusalem at a site that offered flat terrain in a largely hilly region. In 1936 it was renovated by the Jewish entrepreneur Pinchas Rutenberg and began to be used commercially on a limited basis by
Rutenberg’s airline, Palestine Airways, and the British carrier, Imperial Airways.[30]
Until 1927, it was the only airport in Mandatory Palestine, although there were several military airfields. Qalandia was used for prominent guests bound for Jerusalem.[31] It opened for regular flights in 1936.[32]
Jerusalem airport, 1961
After the Six-Day War, it was renamed Atarot Airport by Israel, but closed down due to disturbances related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and because international companies refused to land there.[33] Israel confiscated 639 dunums from Qalandia village in order to establish a military base at the former airport.[34]
The Qalandia refugee camp was established in 1949 by the Red Cross[37] on land leased from Jordan. It covers 353 dunums (0.353 km2; 35.3 ha) as of 2006[38] and has a population of 10,024[39] with 935 structures divided into 8 blocks.[38] Israeli authorities consider it part of Greater Jerusalem, and it remains under their control.[40]
The Qalandia checkpoint is the main checkpoint between the northern West Bank and Jerusalem, and is known for frequent demonstrations against the occupation.[43]
The Israeli 2013 Qalandia raid led to clashes with local residents, leaving three of Qalandia's inhabitants dead and several critically wounded.[44]
^An Empire in the Holy Land: Historical Geography of the British Administration of Palestine, 1917-1929 Gideon Biger, St. Martin's Press and Magnes Press, New York & Jerusalem, 1994, p. 152
^United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (date unknown). Where We Work - West Bank - Camp Profiles - Kalandia. "The Israeli authorities consider this area as part of Greater Jerusalem, and the camp was thus excluded from the redeployment phase in 1995. Qalandia camp remains under Israeli control today." Retrieved from http://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/west-bank/camp-profiles?field=12&qt-view__camps__camp_profiles_block=3.
^Garcia-Navarro, Lourdes (2012-07-26). Latest Target For Palestinians' Protest? Their Leader. NPR, 26 July 2012. Archived 2014-06-10 at the Wayback Machine
