Qalandiya
A crowded day at Qalandiya
We arrived at Qalandiya at 5.20. We parked on the Israeli side and walked to the Palestinian side. On the Israeli side there were already many people waiting for their transport.
The dawn had not broken yet. At the entrance to the checkpoint a large group of people were engrossed in their prayers and we passed carefully so as not to disturb them.
5 checking areas were open. The kiosk was also open ant the baigel seller was already having his cup of tea. The lines were very long and soon flowed into the parking area. It seemed that the checking was fast and efficient. The woman soldier in the aquarium opened the turnstiles often and let large numbers of people through. The one time when she did delay one of the people in the line called to her in Hebrew and asked her to let more people through as the lines were long. Usually the soldiers in the aquarium ignore such calls but she responded to the request. After a moment she opened the tuirnstiles and allowed many people through to the area in front of the windows.
A little before six the shifts changed as did the soldiers in the aquarium. But the representative of the DCO was nowhere to be seen. At 6.15 we phoned to ask why this was and why the humanitarian gates had not been opened and received a promise to deal with the matter. At 6.20 two security guards arrived and behind them the captain, a police man and woman. The captain greeted us and made a survey around the aquarium to check the lines in the cages and in front of the windows. Then he became engaged in a telephone call. The woman soldier and one of the security guards approached the humanitarian gate. First they checked all the permits and send back those who were not eligible. At 6.25 the humanitarian gate opened for the first time. In the meantime the ordinary lines began to shorten.
At 6.35 the only lines were in the shed itself. The captain spoke to us and asked how the morning had been. We said that it seemed that the checking that day had been efficient and so even though there had been long lines the progress had been reasonable and order had been maintained. We told him that two weeks previously when we had been there it had been really terrible. He thanked us and said he would give this his attention. We will see.
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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