Ar-Ram, Qalandiya, Thu 29.5.08, Morning
6.25 a.m.
Anata
On
our way to park the car we saw two border police with a group of about 10
women. They had disappeared by the time we walked back but
bystanders told us that the women were caught crossing the fence and were sent
back through the checkpoint. We were also told that police had
pushed one woman and had ‘dragged a girl on the ground.' At the
checkpoint itself there were the usual procedures of checking all cars.
Two women pedestrians tried to pass by hiding next to a bus but were
spied long before they reached the checkpoint.
On
the way back to the car, a heartwarming incident: a man driving
his children to school made a little detour so as to tell us how much he, and so
many others, appreciate the presence of Machsomwatchers. "Ypu can
not imagine how grateful ywe are and how often people talk about you , that
even if you only come and say good morning it changes our day! While in the
traffic line it's hard to make contact so as to tell us this." He definitely
made our day, hope that yours too.
7.10 a.m.
A-Ram
Routinely tedious waiting line of traffic. Unlike Anata,
here people wait to be called one by one before they can cross.
The wall that we drive along now to reach Qalandia has
the most amazing collection of multilingual graffiti – not that it makes fora
more aesthetic experience for the people living along the
road.
7.15 a.m.
Qalandiah
Three turnstiles were open (though their lights seemed to
be out of order) and people were waiting quietly in line, women and men
together. As the lines at all five
gates were themselves so full, perhaps there did not seem
much point in having the humanitarian gate open.
An
ecumenical observer told us that at 5.15 there had been a tremendous crush, with
only one gate open.
A
friendly police officer (Eli) told us that they have plans to arrange that
people will get permits from 4 o'clock and not from 5.30 so that there will be a
longer time for crossing, which may relieve the pressure.
Currently the CP is opne at 4 but people are not allowed to pass till 5.30. He
also suggested that we come at different times from the ecumenicals as that
would increase the time for monitoring!
At
the gates, there were quite a few small children who get crushed among the
adults and some people tiredly carrying babies. We suggest – once
again – that there be a bench available at each gate. This would
take up very little room .
As
the DCO had not opened by 8.39, we called the ‘war room' who responded
immediately.
There were still some confusing announcements about which
gates were free. Perhaps this was the reason some people continued
to try gate 5 even after this was to serve only the DCO. At any
rate, after passing through the turnstile at gate 5, one man was told to go back
to one of the other gates. Obviously self-confident, he refused as
this would mean going to the back of a queue. The border policeman
was adamant. The man apparently quietly cursed (so we were told by
bystanders) and the BP said he would call the police. The man,
showing no emotion at all, followed him into the office.
At
the DCO itself, a woman soldier told a man that his business couldn't be handled
as the relevant officer was not on duty and he should return on Sunday. Why
wan't the officer there ate the opening time?
This soldier also told us that we were not allowed to be
inside the MATAK, is it so?
A-Ram
See all reports for this place-
two kilometers south of Qalandiya and 300 metres north of Neve Yaacov Junction, in Dahiyat el-Barid Quarter. Checkpoint has operated since 1991, in a Palestinian area annexed to Jerusalem in 1967. The checkpoint has been inactive since the middle of 2009.
The wall was built on the road that led to Jerusalem. Since then the situation in the town has deteriorated. Houses are abandoned and half finished, most of the businesses have closed. Severe neglect around the fence and on the streets. Those who could left. Updated January 2024
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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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