Qalandiya, Mon 27.8.12, Afternoon
The holidays are over and the pedestrian CP was quite empty, almost desolate, although the dirt and the rubbish littered all over the floor served as evidence that people had been there. Two passageways were operating inside the CP with only a few people waiting in line in each. No one was waiting in the DCO passageway, nor was anyone to be seen in the waiting area just beyond the passageway.
There were no lines at all in the northern shed (entrance to the CP). The pushcart peddlers have all returned to their posts.
The western CP, which serves the bus lines connecting Jerusalem and Ramallah, is operating once more. A constant stream of passengers passed through this CP.
Last but not least, the vehicle CP (in the center of the "Terminal") was quite active, but the line of vehicles arriving from Ramallah was not very long.
In short, when demand is weak or non-existent the CP seems to perform quite well. It's only when larger numbers of people actually want to get to Jerusalem that the whole system breaks down.
The two elderly women from Gaza, whom we wrote about last week, are still in Ramallah waiting for permits to return home. Apparently the procedure requires the authorities in Gaza to make a request for permits for the two and no one seems particularly interested in expediting the matter.
We left Qalandiya a little after 5 PM. On our way to Jerusalem we noticed that the CP at Lil/Jabba has been partially dismantled, with only one inspection booth remaining.
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 FleishmanMay-31-2026Qalandiya. Human remains or clothing remains
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