Qalandiya, יום א’ 5.7.09, אחה”צ
Natanya translating.
Our friend, the coffee maker greeted us with a smiling face. "Today was good" he said. Even though it is Sunday, there are not many people. Even in the morning things went well." Truly the pedestrian crossing and the car lane was fairly empty. We were not so happy. The fact that Qalandiya is so empty is because of the sad fact that since it became a "terminal" it is only for those who have blue IDs. Whoever does not have a permit can not go through without a special permission. To get this it is Via Dolorosa and many Palestinians are security or police refused and can not get these.
Even if there is an emergency it is no possibility of speaking to the soldiers who sit behind the glass armoured windows and do not or cannot listen to the explanations of the person addressing them. With a wave of the hand they motion the person to go back and not delay those behind. After several vain attempts people give up. The reason for the comparative emptiness of the checkpoint is the bureaucracy of the occupation which are exercised on the population. Today also we heard that the quota of work permits which are given to Palestinians has been lessened and that is another reason why there is little movement.
On the way back we saw that some of the workers were having difficulty using the new biometric machines which identify them. We tried to ask the soldier who sat behind the glass window why this was so but we could not hear his explanations and he was not prepared to go to the special window which he could have opened. This new procedure of checking the Palestinians returning from Jerusalem is a pilot project. They are only used from 16.00 and if the registration has not taken place the worker is not considered as having come back late. After the pilot period has ended the machines will be in use 24 hours a day. (That reminds me that the checkpoint is open 24 hours a day but only to those who have blue IDs and not just a permit.) We will
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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