A busy morning in Qalandiya and a visit by a team from the State Comptroller's Office
A busy day, and a visit by team from State Comptroller’s office.
05.15. A large group was at prayer next to the parking lot on the Israel side, and at the café on the way to the checkpoint we were invited in for a hot coffee, but hurried on in the intense cold. At the Israeli side of the checkpoint itself, too, there were rows of men praying.
There were lines stretching out of the shed, when we arrived. The beigel seller and the tea kiosk man sat wrapped head to foot because of the cold.
As usual lately, only 4 checking stations were open, the fifth opening at about 6 o’clock. Men prayed, either in groups or individually, and then returned to their places in the lines. The lines were orderly, but advanced slowly. Women were allowed to fit in at the entrance to the cages, as well as an elderly couple who had been waiting at the humanitarian gate, with documents about their appointment for medical treatment. At about 6, when the soldier in the aquarium was relieved, his replacement came together with an officer and we heard her say something about the State Comptroller, but couldn’t catch details. Soon afterwards, a policeman arrived followed by a guards and the D.C.O. officer who opened the gate at 6.15.
We went outside to check the length of the queues– they reached halfway to the road. From a distance, at least, the situation in the traffic lanes seemed ‘reasonable.’
Soon after we returned and bought our tea to warm up a bit (and we could really appreciate how bitterly cold it was for all those workers to be waiting in line outside), a large group of soldiers, policemen, Border Guards and civilians arrived. A friendly woman officer approached – from far she mistook Chana for Hanna Barag (both being tiny) with whom she is in constant contact. We reminded her of the request by teachers to be able to pass in public vehicles, and she said she had already heard this from Hanna Barag and had passed on the request for attention, but was doubtful if this would be possible. She said that the State Comptroller’s Office had examined the situation in the checkpoint and was following up. But the situation was unlikely to improve until the building was done. According to her, conditions at Bethlehem are already somewhat improved and the building there is progressing faster. Meanwhile we also asked for the lighting to be fixed at last. During the course of their visit, a couple of the visitors came to us, asked who we were and asked us about conditions there. One man was surprised to see us standing on the Palestinian side of the checkpoint and asked if we weren’t afraid. They also asked how long it took people to pass – and we calculated that today it was about an hour- a busy, but orderly day. We also described chaos that follows when the lines collapse. They also asked about the humanitarian gate, whether it opened for disabled, people with children, etc. “Our forces” watched our conversation from a distance without intervening. After about 15 minutes, the delegation left.
Shortly after 7 a.m. the lines became shorter, I.e., just beyond the cages. We joined one and were out in 15 minutes.
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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