Qalandiya, Sun 12.8.12, Morning
5:25
the line is very long, reaching to the outside of the booth. 3 turnstiles are open, the 5 "sleeves" are also open. Up until 6:00 the stream of workers was going through at the rate of 60-65 every 4-5 minutes.
the line continues to be long; there seem to be more workers than usual (this turned out not to be true).
Everyone standing in line spoke about how efficient the process was last week.
6:14
The humanitarian gate opened and the officer on duty suggested we also go through it.
There was a change in shifts of the officer.
6:20-6:45
Things slowed down considerably. The turnstiles opened every 6-10 minutes, and less than 20 workers went through on average. When we called the DCO, they promised to look into it. The officer on duty was very hostile and made it clear to us that the "work" was being done in the best way possible and that "we know exactly how to do it."
6:45
Suddenly the turnstiles started opening one at a time, while the other 2 remained closed. About 6-7 people could go through. All our telephone calls did no good.
We left at 7:20, when the line decreased. Our Christian friends reported that the number of people who went through up to 7:20 was 1500 in total.
In our attempt to talk with the people going through, I sensed a certain hostility, which was expressed by one person who asked us not to "ask the same thing all the time, I don't have the strength to talk about it (Ramadan), and what do you want, what is there to talk about?" Also the facial expressions of a lot of the people passing by were angry and full of hatred.
As a "correction" for the depression caused by their and our own anger and despair, at the exit from the parking lot, I crashed into a pillar and I knew that I was going to wreck my car if I continued to drive. A Palestinian taxi driver who saw us volunteered to drive my car out of the parking lot without further damage. We thanked him for the "correction", which didn't actually correct anything in our feelings about the distressing situation and about our despair in the face of our helplessness.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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