Qalandiya
Morning without lines in Qalandiya CP
Summer is approaching and the days are getting longer. Dawn is here when we get to Qalandiya CP. We park the car on the Israeli side. Temperatures are up as well and the morning is not as cold as before. We are pleased to see that the lines are in a pretty good state. When we walk to the checkpoing people tell us that the situation is good today and that there are no lines.
The 5 checking points are in operation and there are no lines. People arrive and enter the third terminal where the carousel is open and cross without waiting. Later on in the morning when more people are coming in the carousel was closed from time to time and the carousel at the end of the terminal was used as well. At no point were there any long lines.
The cakes and bagels peddlers are here as usual and the coffee stall is open as well. People are pleased to learn that there are no lines. The policeman and policewoman who arrived at 5:30 were left without work. They probably informed the DCO that there is no reason to open the humanitarian gate and indeed there was no need for it. Everybody passed quickly the regular checkpoints with no problems.
After a long absence we say today the "prince of Qalandiya " – the black cat. He is the real landlord here, only he can move from one place to the other with no delays, no gates, no carousels or fences, no need to undress as the Palestinians or dress up in shields as the "security forces", he just goes about as he pleases. We took of course a picture of the cat. The policeman took out his smart phone and too a picture as well.
What makes the Machsom busy and a nightmare on one day and calm with no line on another day – can't figure it out. No doubt that opening all the checkpoints does help but it seems that this is not the full explanation.
When we sat the the usual 6:00 o'clock pressure goes by smoothly, we joined the short line in checkpoint 5 when the soldiers decided to go for a break with no foreseen reason. Some people moved to other checkpoints but after few minutes the checkpoint opened again.
At 6:30 we were back on the Israeli side.
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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