Qalandiya, Fri 11.5.12, Morning
Translation: Chana Stein
9.15 The place is filthy and stinking, as usual. About 50 people crowded in line. All the inside stations were opened and the line moved reasonably quickly. At 9.20 the humanitarian gate opened and closed after a few seconds. At 9.20, the queue began to build up and about 100 people were waiting in line. A group of men and women moved over to the humanitarian gate which again opened for a few seconds.
A 50 year-old woman from Jenin told us that soldiers took her permit. We tried to approach the police officer who did not answer. We then approached a DCO officer who spoke to the woman in Arabic and promised to check the matter.
9.40 about 40 people collected at the humanitarian gate – which opened shortly after and almost all the people passed through. A woman with an American passport was not allowed through. At 9.50 the humanitarian gate again opened and everyone passed through.
10.00 The line at the regular lane was almost empty. Six people were waiting at the humanitarian gate. A policeman spoke to them and checked their permits. Then again a line built up in the regular lane but advanced quickly. A DCO officer came out and explained that the woman who had complained had had a medical permit which was now out of date. On Sunday she should approach the DCO officer in Jenin to get a new one. This he explained also to the woman.
A man speaking fluent Hebrew said he was 86 and wanted to go through to pray. The officer sent him to the humanitarian checkpoint [station no.5?]
By 10.15 the line was practically empty. Our general impression was that the work was done quickly and relatively efficiently.
We heard soldiers’voices on a loudspeaker telling people to get away from the fence dividing the pedestrian section from the vehicles section. As we approached the fence we saw a crowd of Palestinians, and the police ‘dealing with’ young trembling man, a young woman in hysterics next to a red Fiat. People told us that the man drove the car together with his wife and their sick son to get medical attention. He tried to overtake other cars because of the child. Other drivers did not mind but the police apparently panicked at the lack of order. They stopped him, took him out of the car, hit him and threw gas at him. What we saw was the young man twisted in pain and trembling. He was taken by the police. Travellers on a jeep behind him tried to explain to the police what had happened and to help the frightened woman – without success. The man was taken and the frightened, crying woman joined the jeep. We did not manage to see what happened to the sick child and the ‘dangerous’ car. All around we heard angry shouts: ’Do you seen what happens to us?’
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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 FleishmanOct-11-2026Qalandiya. Female Beggar
-
