Ar-Ram, Qalandiya, Thu 3.4.08, Morning
a.m.
Anata: Very
heavy traffic. Officially there
were 2 lanes but the frustrated drivers often came up alongside so that in
effect there were 3 lanes (and at times, even 4!) all having then to squeeze through the
actual checkpoints. This naturally
made things very difficult for incoming traffic.
All
cars had their trunks checked.
There
was a local man organising the traffic, mainly to help the busses through.
According to the head of the council, he was there
officially.
The
schoolchildren are back this week and some little ones were weaving their way
quite dangerously through the traffic to get to the pedestrian
gate.
7.30
a.m. A-Ram: Rather more cars than we have seen lately. It took a couple of minutes to go
through. Few
pedestrians.
7.55
a.m.
Qalandiya: No
one waiting at the turnstiles! Two
gates were functioning but with short lines.
When
we arrived, the prisoners’ families were just finishing going through gate
5. When they had done so, we
noticed people approaching the Matak. At 8.15 we asked the soldier inside about
this and he said that, as there was no pressure today, they could open the Matak
early. We wanted to know why today
was so quiet and the officer in charge said he would come ‘in a minute’ to talk
to us but by the time we left at 8.50, he still hadn’t come! (The woman soldier in the outside
office – the same one who would not make eye contact last week –said ‘I could
not answer your questions!’)
Every
now and then gate 5 would open for normal traffic (not Matak business), but then
would close again, which was very frustrating for people who then would lose
their place in the lines at the other gates.
A-Ram
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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 FleishmanApr-12-2026Qalandiya. Abdallah at his fruit stand
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