Qalandiya
A very quiet morning
As we have been doing lately, we parked on the Israeli side and walked across. When, on our way to the crossing, we saw the number of people and cars moving forwards, we realized it was a good day. At the entrance, before we crossed we passed by a large group of praying people. The Palestinian side was almost empty and very quiet. The bagel and cake vendors were already waiting. All the five check posts were open (at about 5:15). The turnstiles at the end of the fenced-off areas were open. People passed the moment they arrived and went on to wait at the check posts. Everything worked smoothly.
After a short while the blonde policewoman arrived, as usual accompanied by the black cat. Today two black and white cats had joined them. Later on two more policemen arrived as well, but nobody was very busy. Their only task was to direct the people when they saw that a line had formed at a certain check post. Everything was quiet. From time to time the soldiers at the check posts spoke to somebody through the loudspeaker. Most of the time it was hard to understand what they said, but they sounded calm and businesslike.
At 6 o'clock we went to Iman's coffee stand to buy a cup of tea and get warm (even though the cold wasn't too bad and it wasn't windy). When we returned to the covered area we saw that the turnstiles had closed for the first time this morning. But when they opened again everybody passed and they remained open. After a few minutes we saw that P., the officer from the DCO, had arrived. He didn't have anything to do either, since there is no need for the humanitarian gate if there are no lines. Nobody was waiting at the gate.
At 6:30 we crossed as well. It took us only a few minutes.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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