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Qalandiya
Observers: Virginia S., Ina P. (reporting), Judith G. (translator)
In addition to the freezing cold of late December, a fog thick as pea soup covered Qalandiya and the nearby area when we arrived at 5:40 and only great luck prevented an accident in the unlit section of highway 45, leading from highway 443 to the checkpoint. However, despite the difficult conditions, there was a relaxed atmosphere, relatively, at the checkpoint. There was sufficient progress so that the lines, for the most part, did not spill over beyond the narrow passageways between the bars (commonly called the "'cages"). Already at 6:05 we noticed that the turnstile on the left was open most of the time, and those arriving passed through freely. Occasionally people greeted us with "Good Morning, how are you?" in Hebrew and English. Maybe the good spirits were connected to the New Year atmoshpere.
At 6:05 the DCO soldiers arrived who are responsible for the humanitarian gate, but those arriving at the checkpoint preferred to go directly through the turnstile which was open or, when the line did become a bit longer, to wait until the opening of the turnstile.
Before they entered the "aquarium" to escape from the cold, we spoke with one of the DCO soldiers and the guard on duty as well as with the responsible policewomen. We spoke with the men about the reasons for opening the humanitarian gate even when there wasn't pressure of long lines of people waiting to pass through the container – for instance, in order to protect the women from the experience of being groped while they were stuck in the containers. With the 2 policewomen, we talked about the dangerous situation caused by the lack of lighting on highway #45. One of them said that the police were certainly aware of the situation and had turned to the Jerusalem Municipality long ago about the problem. Since then, they spoke about it several times, but with no result. We asked that the police should lend it weight again to the problem, after our suggestion that the Israeli police should work together with MachsomWatch to put pressure on the Municipality aroused a weak smile on our interlocutor.
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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