Atara, Qalandiya, Thu 17.1.08, Morning
Anata
06.30. Two lanes of traffic, each driver is checked. Many children already on their way to school. One pedestrian told us that after we would leave the Cp, cars would be delayed longer. We got the impression that traffic was heavier as time went on.
Ar-Ram
07.10 Only a few cars, each checked briefly. All pedestrians, even little schoolchildren, had to approach the border policemen one by one and some had to open their schoolbags.
Qalandiya
07.30. When we arrived a man approached us in the parking lot – a doctor at Augusta Victoria. He complained that passing through the checkpoint at Qalandiya took an hour and so he had taken to travel via Hizmeh. From what we could see, passage took about 15 minutes – which, of course, is too long in any case.
All five lanes were open until 08:00. when the prisoners’ families started to pass through two lanes. Then suddenly one of the remaining lanes closed. We were told that ‘one of the machines was not working.’ When we drew the attention of the policeman in charge, he immediately intervened and opened another lane.
By this time, most of the families had gone through (nearly 08.20), so the remaining ones were combined in one lane to free a lane for the ‘usual’ daily traffic.
There did not seem to be anyone waiting for the DCO.
'Atara
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'Atara Checkpoint
Situated at the northern entrance to Ramallah from Route 465, called also Bir Zeit Checkpoint. Nowadays only remains of what used to be a busy checkpoint remain, a pillbox and concrete blocks.
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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 FleishmanMay-11-2026Qalandiya. Ambulances wait in front of a closed checkpoint
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