Qalandiya
Qalandiya CP
5:00 Long line of Sunday morning. We thought that since it is "Jerusalem Day" people will decide no to come on this day to Jerusalem. But to those we meet here life and livelihood are stronger. Indeed, shortly after 7:00 o'clock all the people crossed the check point.
Only one incident worth mentioning as it makes one think. At one point we saw gathering near the entrance to check point 4 – Palestinians and policemen around a person who collapsed on the floor. People stood around him and eventually he was brought into the hall and was put on the bench (those who carried him entered back through the humanitarian gate, not without a short inquiry). Luckily we met a young orderly who works in a hospital in Jerusalem and he was the one who called for an ambulance. The wounded young mean had a cut and was bleeding from his temple. Some said that he got his cut from the carousel which rotated too fast. The security guy said that the man is drunk and smells of alcohol. Sound strange that a Muslim worker is drunk on the way to work… We stood close to the man and didn't notice any smell pf alcohol.
The important point is that within minutes the ambulance arrived and the injured man was taken to the Ramallah hospital. The man's father was notified and he arrived at the hospital as well.
We took the phone number of the orderly who escorted the injured man to the hospital. They will tell us on Sunday what evolved.
We also met a couple from Gaza. The man was released from the Ramallah hospital and they were on their way home. Frequently you see people who were released that same day from the hospital and need all kinds of certificates to be able to go home. Nothing here is simple.
On the way out we encountered again soldiers who didn't know who we are and were delayed by them. Policeman M who was in the area told them who we are and gave us back our identity cards.
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 FleishmanJun-28-2026Qalandiya. The bridge leading from Jerusalem to the Qalandiya checkpoint
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