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Qalandiya
Observers: Ronny P., Maya L.; Translator: Judith Green
Sunday is a day of a lot of workers, working not only in Jerusalem, but all over the country. We met workers who were building the huge bridge for the future railroad next to Motza. It was sad to hear their bitterness as men who are building a grandiose project and are proud of their profession but, at the same time, are suffering from humiliating treatment all the way from their house to work.
When we arrived, there were already a lot of people and we saw that, once again, the 3rd turnstile was not operating. But, there was some progress! Once the police officers were not not willing to talk with us and sent us to the civil administration. Recently, they answer us and eventually the turnstile opened.
Again, we met people who were sent back from the inspection windows with no explanation. Is the approach that, after all, they are only Arabs, so it is not necessary to tell someone who has a valid work permit in his hand and, in spite of this, he is not able to go to work? Luckily, a DCO officer clarified (in only one minute), and the reason was that the employer had canceled the man's employment permit without telling him. After 7:00, the stream of people was finished. It was perhaps the first morning that was not terribly cold at Kalandia; maybe because of this, and the fact that the line progressed pretty quickly, it was a "normal" morning at Kalandia checkpoint.
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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