Qalandiya
Dawn Shift
It was literally below freezing when we arrived at the checkpoint at 5:00 p.m. However, there were no lines, as people were walking directly through one of the three turnstiles (each at the end of the three narrow, bar-lined passages known as the “cages”) and on to the five open checking stations. Although it is customary to leave turnstile no. 3 (the left one) open when traffic through them is not being regulated, in this case only no. 1 (the right one) was open. At one point — since out of habit some people were lining up in no. 3 and whistling for him to open its turnstile, the soldiers in the "Aquarium" pressed several buttons but failed to do so. We didn’t know whether this was because the turnstile was broken or whether the soldier had not been properly briefed in how to operate it. Consequently, we directed people entering the checkpoint to use no. 1.
This remained the case, with lines building up at the entrances to the five checking stations but people exhibiting patience and maintaining order, until about 5:40. Then a policeman appeared, set up a barrier to neutralize turnstile no. 1, but showed the soldier how to open turnstiles 2 and 3. Hence the usual three lines that proceed via the “cages” were reduced to two for the rest of the morning, but more people were let through each time the turnstiles were opened.
The Humanitarian Gates opened at 6:05 and thereafter each time a handful of people gathered before it. At one point the Civil Administration soldier in charge of the gate was approached by a woman who was either anxious about the state of her permit or had been rejected at the checking station and sent back out. In any case, after a brief conversation with her, he accompanied her and her child into the area of the checking station and soon thereafter return alone, leading us to understand that he had solved whatever issue she had brought to him. We have cited him in the past as the kind of professional and self-possessed soldier needed and appreciated at checkpoints. More power to him!
Lines still extended beyond the cages when we left the checkpoint at 7:00 a.m. However, the morning traffic jam leading to the vehicle checkpoint seemed a bit lighter than usual.
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 FleishmanOct-11-2026Qalandiya. Female Beggar
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