Qalandiya
From far away, we can see that the checkpoint is full of people. The line reaches the parking lot and the air is full of tension. Only the birds sing. The EAPPI people are not present; perhaps they have stopped coming on Sundays.
At 5:00 AM, only one turnstile is operating, not clear why. There is only one soldier in the aquarium, who is not paying attention to what is going on outside. The shouting increases and a group of youths is doing a lot of pushing. The adults in the group run away out of the line to avoid the violence. They stand, waiting for the opening of the Humanitarian Gate. One of the elderly men who escaped the pushing curses the Jews whom Hitler did not exterminate. Everyone is bursting with anger.
Ronny calls the administration and asks them to open other turnstiles. At 5;15, another 2 turnstiles are opened. The tension decreases a bit. The bagel salesman asks us to request them to turn on more lighting, as only 2 out of the 6 lamps are lit. Some people think we have the power to act, which is a pleasant feeling. Others ask why the Jews behave like this toward them.
Next to the Humanitarian Gate there is a group of women forming; teachers, it seems, and a family on its way to the hospital for their daughter's eye treatment. The Gate does not open.
Ronny tries to find out from the policemen if there is any intention to open the Gate. If there isn't, she asks that they inform those waiting there so that they can join the regular lines. The policeman who has arrived doesn't answer her. He turns his back. At around 6:15, the usual policewoman arrives and claims that they do not have the key for the Gate and that she doesn't know why it isn't open, or whether the soldier will come and open it. We advise those waiting to go through the turnstiles and that's what they do.
The Humanitarian Gate does not open. The woman soldier who arrives at about 7:00 claims that the Gate didn't open because there was no request for it. Everything goes quickly. Of course, we saw things differently, and your heart contracts in the face of such coarse spirit in the young woman who seems to have no sensitivity. In any case, from the hour of 7:00 the line decreases quickly. All the turnstiles are operating, all the "sleeves' are open and people rush through on their way to work.
There is only one open bathroom, the womens'. But no women dare to go there. I watch one man who goes into the womens' door. The waiting space is filthy. I think this is the first work day since the closure on the Palestinians was lifted. It would have been wonderful to begin it in another way.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
-
