Qalandiya, יום ב’ 22.6.09, אחה”צ
3.45 Qalandiya. When we arrive there was an ambulance waiting on the Israeli side and we were going to go through to see what was happening. But in the first turnstile we found an elderly couple with about 6 pieces of luggage, one of which a suitcase was very large. We phoned the Moked and also the DCO but though we were told that someone would be sent no one came. When a soldier did arrive accompanying an army group we asked him several times to open the gate for them but his answer was that they could take it through the turnstile with no difficulty. This "no difficulty" took at least 15 minutes and caused a delay also for those waiting behind them besides being a great physical strain. It seems that any humanitarian or other gate at Qalandiya are like the Gates of Mercy on the Temple Mount which will only open when the Messiah comes.
Two men arrived to sign a paper for Chaya. The one showed us a note on which was scribbled that he was security refused until 2011 and said he did not know the reason. He had also been to the Palestinian Authority where he was given the same information.
Towards 5pm Natanya went through to the car park. At first the workers returning had no problem but then a bus arrived with the wives, children and parcels of the prisoners in jail and a complete confusion ensued with shouting and pushing. It looked as if it could turn into a very unpleasant situation. One man took the nitiative and then all the men stood in a one long line reaching out of the shed and the women and children went through. It seemed that they did not have to use the machines as the workers returning for the day did.
Once more the rudeness and the contempt of the women soldiers in the booth was evident. Each time someone came to the window they started a conversation and only after a few minutes would throw a glance at the ID and flick a finger for the person to go on.
I had just that day been told by a friend that at the mall she does not have to go through the x-ray device. Now there seems to be no way a woman can avoid this. At least in the turnstile through which I passed.
We left at 5.30
Natanya
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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-26-2026Qalandiya. Things you see on the way
-