Qalandiya
Arriving at 5.15, today we did not see the usual groups of men praying. Inside the queues were relatively short and all 5 checking stations were open. For some unknown reason the soldier managing the carousels opened only one, that one closest to the aquarium. The men in the other two lanes started shouting but he either did not hear or preferred to ignore them. They therefore left their lanes and began to push their way into the first one, which almost led to fistfights. Later they simply all stood in one line, which of course quickly stretched right out of the shed, although there was really no need for this, and it would not have happened had the soldier opened all three carousels. As to be expected, at the entrance to the lane near the aquarium the line collapsed and there was confusion. When a guard arrived we asked him to tell the soldier to open all the carousels. As soon as she did so, order was restored, because in general there was not particularly large pressure today.
06.10. The D.C.O. officer arrived with a ‘student’ soldier. After them came another guard and a policewoman. The officer explained to the soldier the procedure at the humanitarian gate, and at 6.15 the gate at last was opened. We went outside for tea and noticed smoke rising from the direction of A-Ram. Muhammad of the kiosk said that during the night there was trouble in A-Ram and that people were burning tyres there in protest.
We returned inside and spoke to two young men of “Blue-white Human Rights,” the right-wing organization. We had not seen them for a long time and they said that, indeed, they mostly go to checkpoint 300 (Bethlehem). When they arrived they went to check the state of the toilets, and told us they were going to complain about this. They handed out leaflets to people, written in Arabic and inviting them to approach them for help. They told us that they mostly help people needing permits for getting medical treatment. They cited a case where they enabled a man who wanted to get to treatment in alternative medicine, to get a permit. They were surprised to hear that we help people write appeals against refusal of permits for security reasons, and that we succeed in this. They thought that once Security decided someone was a security risk there was nothing to be done.
At 6.35 we joined a very short line and passed through within 10 minutes. Next to the parking lot (on the Israeli side where we park), is a simple café. On our way to the checkpoint early in the morning, this place is humming with workers waiting for their transport. But on our way back it is empty, and the owner is busy cleaning up the cigarette butts. When he sees us he invites us in for coffee. He tells us that his name is Avraham and that his father worked many years in Sha’are Tsedek [hospital].
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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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