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Qalandiya
Observers: Ronnny P. and students the international relations program at Fulda, Germany; Translator: Judith Greeen
We arrived early and saw that, once again, the line was going forward quite well. A slightly different demography: people who are daily workers at nearby locations. But, again, we met 2 workers who did not understand why they were sent back from the inspection line without anyone telling them why. One of them, at least, was told that he would have to go to the administration office after 8:30, and then we understood that at least he would not find out that he was on the GSS black list; the second man, 62 yrs old, did not understand anything. So again we went to the DCO officer who again,within one minute, found out that there was an administrative problem for both of them,perhaps related to their fingerprints. Was this a secret? They couldn't just tell them? Also, a family with a child on the way to the hospital but, since the hour was 5:40, the humanitarian gate was not yet open. We called the office of the police and asked them to open the gate. The policeman honestly did not understand why it was not possible for them to wait until the DCO officers would come, and that it was very unpleasant and difficult to stand there until the humanitarian gate might open.
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 FleishmanApr-27-2025Qalandiya: A beggar woman
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