Qalandiya
Cold and calm.
As we’ve done recently, we parked on the Israeli side. A strong wind blew; the weather was very cold. We detoured around a large group of worshippers at the entrance and went through. At 05:15 all five lanes were open on the Palestinian side (although the screen over Lane 1 shows red, as if it’s closed). The beigel and pastry sellers are already here and Ayman’s coffee stall is already open. Birds chirp, cats wander around, only one thing is missing – the lines!
Almost the entire time we were there the revolving gate in the nearby cage remained open and people arriving went through immediately. Only infrequently did the revolving gate close and short lines formed. When the revolving gates in cages 2 and 3 opened the line disappeared and again the revolving gate remained open. Since there were no lines we couldn’t see what the situation was with the revolving gate in the first cage. It wasn’t blocked by a police barrier, but no one went to it or tried to go through because there was no need. People were pleased, greeted us and hurried on their way.
Apparently the scanner at Lane 4 isn’t operating, so the lane is open only for people without bags or parcels. Most of the Palestinians have a bag or at least a plastic sack with their food, so this lane was empty most of the time. Sometimes someone went through with a transparent bag and showed the soldier in the booth the pitas it contained.
Shortly before 6 we went to buy a cup of tea to warm up a bit. When we returned a policeman was already there and P. from the DCL arrived soon after. P. had nothing to do since in the absence of lines no one waited at the humanitarian gate, so he soon left. We also left, at about 06:15, crossed with no problems and reached town quickly, and early.
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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