Qalandiya
Arrived at 5:25. The parking area was still barred off. At the pay-parking lot – beyond the fruit and vegetable stalls – the attendants had prepared receipts charging 20 IS but accepted Gili and Yaara’s last-week agreement to charge us 10 IS.
At the CP within, all five booths were already operating. Long, though orderly lines had formed in front of the pens. Booths 4 and 5 had apparently been opened up shortly before we got there. People were already passing through Booth 5, but Booth 4 was stalling – though once a policewoman arrived, the line got moving.
Nearly 6:00 am, a soldier arrived to replace the one on duty in the aquarium. The soldier was new and unfamiliar and inquired – he asked those at the Humanitarian what it was about. They and we ourselves explained to him that it was a humanitarian gate, just about to open up. The signpost that had been put up recently was already missing. The policewoman confirmed both the issue of our presence as well as that of the ‘humanitarian’ gate. Also, instructed him on his duties in the aquarium and operated the turnstiles from time to time.
Shortly after 6am the ‘humanitarian’ officer arrived to open up the gate. We had met him some time ago during the Ramadan at the ‘hazetim’ (Olive, Ras Abu Sbeitan) CP, and he told us that he was normally a liaison officer working with intl orgs. Speaks Arabic and courteously checked passers-through, though only those that had the right to pass through. Others were directed to the regular lines.
At 6:30 the lines contracted considerably and we left. Since last week the traffic was heavily congested through Pisgat Zeev, we now took the course through the roundabout at Qalandiya. It took us 20 minutes to get through but traffic was normal and flowing.
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-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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