Crowding and pressure for two hours. Another extremely hard day in Qalandiya
05.15. Dark, cold and wet. Already as we approached the checkpoint we could see long lines extending out of the shed.
Most of the time 5 checking stations were open, but progress there was very slow, and the soldier in the cubicle admitted few people at each opening of the turnstiles. The lines grew, as did the frustration …
We met our friend H. in a line. He and his friends complained about the long lines all week. H., who is still suffering pain in his leg, tells us that he is already 60 and wants to leave his present job for an easier one – perhaps fewer hours and less standing all the time. His boss refuses to fire him, so that he won’t have to pay severance pay.
05.50. Boiling-point approaches: the lines collapse and chaos ensues. The benches fill with people who flee the melee. People pile up at the entrance to the cages, climbing on one another in a desperate attempt to wriggle their way into the cages. The woman soldier still admits only few at a time. One man climbed right up on top and sat on a bar above the cage, by which time he was tired. Friends threw him a bottle of water for him to refresh himself.
The shed was full. After 6, there were already crowds waiting at the humanitarian gate. The guard and D.C.O. soldier who arrived at the usual delay entered from the inner side to open the gate. They let through groups of people after checking that they were entitled to use the gate. As usual when the lines collapse, many try their luck at the humanitarian gate. We usually stand in the space between this gate and the regular lines. Today the pressure was such that we had to withdraw so as not be crushed.
The pressure at the humanitarian gate lasted a long time. Women who had the right to use it had to squeeze their way through the men to reach it. When the pressure relaxed somewhat, the guard took the time to look around and instruct the woman soldier to open the turnstiles for longer times. A policeman appeared at one stage, but left after a few minutes.
The chaos continued for over an hour and a half. Then queues started to form again for the outer 2 cages. At the entrance to the cage closest to the soldier’s cubicle took longer. Only after 2 hours (!), at 8 o’clock, were there once again 3 orderly lines. After 8, too, older women who are allowed in without permits, were admitted through the humanitarian gate. But older men without permits were not allowed.
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 FleishmanJun-28-2026Qalandiya. The bridge leading from Jerusalem to the Qalandiya checkpoint
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