Qalandiya
Long lies all morning.
There were already long lines at the checkpoint when we arrived at 5 AM. One out of the 5 stations was not operating until 5:35. The lines reached the parking lot by 6:45 and only lessened by 7:00. It is worth noting that during the period in which they are granting more and more permits (as Hannah B. has noted), they are not adjusting the facilities in accordance with the increase in numbers..
A pleasant soldier from the DCO whom we did not know before arrived at 6:05 and opened the Humanitarian Gate and opened it again whenever a small group of people had gathered there. However, because he was new, he consulted occasionally with one of the policemen who was present. Each time, in a coarse way which is typical of him, he would reject every request to go through the Gate as an exceptional case.
When we were on our way out, at 7:00, a young couple entered (or perhaps a woman with her brother),the woman with a baby in a carriage and the man with a small child on his shoulders. It was clear that the guard would allow the woman through the Humanitarian Gate, but we stopped to see if the guard, untypically, might allow the man to accompany her if he didn't have a specific permit to go through this gate. And, if he sent him to stand in line in the cages, how the woman would manage alone with 2 little children. There was some consultation, or negotiation, on this important matter, during which the guard glanced at us a few times from far away and, finally, he let the whole family go through the gate together. We cannot know whether or not our presence had any influence on his decision. Who knows?
Finally, only 3 out of the 12 lights on the northern side of the checkpoint were working. Soon it will be totally dark there before sunrise – and quite a few people arrive then.
In the photo, the line that extends into the parking lot at 6:20. The entrance to the CP ix next to the yellow sign on the left and the line continues inside.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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