Qalandiya
It's cold and emply in Qalandiya
Before the storm breaks out and the snow starts falling, we leave for Qalandiya as usual. We park before the checkpoint. It's very cold and the wind is blowing at this early hour in the morning, but it isn't cold enough to be snowing and it isn't raining yet. As expected, there are much less people, since nobody will be working at the constructions sites today. There are hardly any people on the Israeli side of the checkpoint and there are very few cars.
Inside it's quite empty. There are no people, but even though, at about 5:15 all five check posts are open and the green signs above them are turned on. The bagel vendor hasn't arrived this morning, only the man selling cakes is waiting. The coffee stall remains closed until we leave and it probably won't open today. People are only dripping in. The turnstiles at the end of the fenced-off area are open all the time, and those who arrive pass through and move on to the check posts. There are no lines.
Usually, the Palestinians wear only light jackets with hoods in cold weather. Everybody smokes (except during Ramadan). Today almost everybody is wearing a coat. Many also wear scarves and hats and some even extra warm overalls. Because of the cold, and since there are no lines, people are keeping their hands in their pockets and hardly anybody is smoking. Because they don't have to wait in line, people are not pressured and they greet us when they see us. H. says "a very good morning", when he arrives.
At about 6 o'clock, a major and a policeman and the blonde female police officer arrive. The black cat welcomes them hoping to attract some attention. At this hour many people are arriving. There are short lines in front of the check posts, but the turnstiles are open and the fenced-off areas are empty.
We leave shortly after 6 o'clock. It takes only a few minutes to return to the center of town. Before sunrise, we hurry home to wait for the snow.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
-
