Qalandiya
We arrived at Qalandiya shortly after 3:30 PM. There were not very many people at the CP, perhaps because of the heavy heat (hamsin). Three passageways were operating plus another one for the DCL. The first thing that we noticed was that the candy vendor was not at his usual post. We went to ask the fellows sitting near the “coffee shop” what had happened and they told us that Suleiman had had a heart attack and been hospitalized, but that he was home now for the past 2 days and all hoped that he would now recover. We sent regards from us and Natanya and hope to visit him next week.
Meanwhile, we saw that an elderly gentlemen seated in a wheel chair had arrived, pushed by a younger man. The young man told us that the older one had had an operation on his leg with an implant and that he was now trying to get home to Gaza. We called headquarters to ask for their help in opening the humanitarian gates and they promised to be speedy. It took them 15 minutes in the heavy heat, but in the end a pleasant officer appeared and opened gate after gate until the two men disappeared into the CP. We didn’t see them again.
There were no further events that afternoon. The CP performed as usual, there was no crowding and the lines remained short.
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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