Qalandiya
Today Qalandiya was even more deserted than usual and the candy vendor told us that there had been no unusual events. The coffee seller reported that the CP had been more crowded than usual in the morning rush. When we arrived there were 4 active passageways, three of which were empty because all the people were standing in Passageway 1 and the guard in the entrance booth was not announcing the other possibilities. But Passageway 5, to the DCL offices, was completely blocked – apparently because the floor had been painted (which I overlooked as there was no sign warning of wet paint). So I went to ask the women soldiers in Passageway 4 why the entrance to the DCL was closed and what was someone who needed their services to do? The soldiers couldn’t understand the question. They just said that the DCL was closed and they had no idea why and since when. Hopefully it would open in the morning. Once again it appears that whoever is supposed to teach the soldiers how to perform their duties at the CP is not fulfilling his function.
Hannah saw a very desperate lady in the northern shed talking to one of the women who were sitting on the benches there. We went over to them to see if we could help at all. The poor woman told us she had come to the CP to ask the policemen there to find her son who had run away from home and gone to Tel Aviv where he was wandering around with Israeli youngsters, sleeping in the Central Bus Station, looking for adventure and using drugs. She was terribly distraught and we helped her to call the Civil Rights Hotline, but they said there was nothing they could do for her. In the end she went to look for a policeman at the other side of the CP.
At about 5 PM we saw two gentlemen who had been trapped inside the examination space of Passageway 3 and were unable to get out either to Jerusalem or to Palestine. We thought that the soldiers who had checked their papers had forgotten to open the exit gate before going off-duty themselves. We phoned headquarters to ask for help and a policeman quickly came and released the two.
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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