Qalandiya
We returned to Qalandiya this week. We parked in a lot on the Israeli side of the CP, in Beit Hanina, so that we wouldn’t get stuck in a traffic jam on the way to Lil/Jaba CP on the way home. We reached the CP at 3:45 PM and found it almost empty. Three passageways were operating and there were no lines at all. The passageway to the DCO offices was closed. The two female soldiers sitting in the “aquarium” between Passageways 4 and 5(entrance to the DCO) said that they had to ask for permission before opening the DCO entrance. One of our tasks yesterday at Qalandiya was to meet a Palestinian man and have him sign a Power of Attorney. We gave him the papers we had brought for him (a request to the ”Shabak” to change his status as a security risk) and he signed the PoA, and then we suggested that we check and see if he could submit his request immediately in view of the fact that the DCO should have been open at that hour and there were no lines at all. He agreed and stood in Passageway 5 while we entered Passageway 4 and asked the 2 female soldiers to let our friend into the DCO. Both soldiers were polite and businesslike. They quickly received permission and sent him through to the DCO. It took our friend about half an hour to present his request. He wasn’t given a receipt but was told to return for an answer in 2 or 3 months (the usual length of time required). The Shabak works slowly.
Towards 4:30 PM, the numbers of people arriving in the CP began to increase (and, of course, that was the time that one of the active passageways shut down leaving only 2 open). There was a lot of pressure in the vehicle CP, but not very many were standing in line at the passageway for bus passengers at the western end of the CP. At 4:45 PM we began to hear shots being fired at the western end of the CP and we saw several soldiers carrying weapons near the bus passenger CP. A young man standing near us said that they were shooting tear gas (and Natanya, who walked closer in order to see, confirmed this). We couldn’t make out who was being fired at and saw no rocks flying or any other suspicious activity.
We left Qalandiya at 5 PM when the shooting stopped, and returned to Jerusalem.
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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