Qalandiya
05:00 We were astonished to see only one booth open when we arrived, and a line stretching to the parking lot.
And regarding the open booth – when we walked into the checkpoint we could see two female soldiers, one who seemed to be asleep at the scanner and the second inspecting people, not very energetically.
By 05:30 the line hadn’t moved, of course – two soldiers for hundreds of people.
It’s lucky it’s still early – people aren’t yet late for work so things are relatively calm. But there’s tension; soon there will be an explosion.
05:10 We telephoned the DCL. The soldier listened and laconically said he’ll look into it. We asked why only one booth was open. No explanation.
In the interim, those on line tell us yesterday was excellent. The day before was terrible! Only two booths were open, and at one point no one was allowed to cross, with no explanation. Many waited until 09:00 and at some point returned home.
05:30 Great satisfaction – all the booths open. Hallelujah. The line immediately becomes significantly shorter, not much before the beginning of the cages. Later it flows freely.
We should note there weren’t many people at the checkpoint because it was Passover eve. The chicken processing factories aren’t working. What would have happened had they been working, or perhaps they saved on manpower because they expected fewer people?
07:00 We left.
Happy holidays.
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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