Qalandiya
So Qalandiya can be relatively tolerable after all?
05.15. When we arrived there were long lines (reaching the road, we were told), but all 5 checking stations were open, and the soldier working the turnstiles let a large number of people through each time. In fact, when he went off duty, he left the turnstiles open – perhaps inadvertently – and crowds passed through! Interestingly, though this meant crowds at each checking stations, all remained calm there, and it certainly seemed to make those still waiting in the shed feel more relaxed than usual.
At 6 o’clock, the woman soldier who took over operating the turnstile also left the turnstiles open for quite a while, so people continued streaming through. The lines became much shorter and never extended beyond the shed. At one point there was an announcement that sounded as if Checking station no.1 was for permits only, but later we did notice people with lunch-bags going through.
Outside, the fenced-off building site looked full of good intentions (tractor, building materials), but no activity.
The D.C.O. officer arrived with a guard to open the humanitarian gate at about 6.15. Before that, because the lines were short, some ‘entitled’ people chose them, rather than wait for the humanitarian gate to open.
We joined a line at 7 o’clock and passed through in less than 15 minutes. As usual on these rare occasions when the place is run efficiently, we received thanks from Palestinians, as if we were responsible. If only we could understand why conditions vary so! Passing through Qalandiya is never a delight, but it need not be quite the nightmare that it has been lately.
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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