Qalandiya
Translator: Charles K.
We arrived a few minutes before 9 AM. A few police cars already stood in the vehicle inspection area. Police officers? Soldiers? They inspected incoming cars, but not us.
The crowded parking lot hinted at the congestion we found at the canopied area.
Three very long lines; the humanitarian gate open; all the booths open inside. Many officers, soldiers and other uniformed personnel trying to maintain control efficiently. And…behaving politely to the Palestinians and even to us.
People on line reported waiting 1¼ – 1½ hours. But it turns out the army computes time differently. It measures waiting time only from the moment people come through the revolving gates…so (from its perspective) the measures of productivity and efficiency are satisfactory. The long lines before the revolving gates are apparently the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority? Or perhaps they’re the fault of the people waiting who burden the regime by coming through the checkpoint on their way to worship, to the hospital and – on weekdays – to work.
Those waiting are apprehensive that the congestion won’t allow them to get to prayers in time. And lo, a familiar police officer appears and opens the humanitarian gate, keeping it open for people with permits to reach the Haram al Sharif and allowing worshippers to go through quickly.
At 10:30 a father arrives with a boy about ten years old. The boy has a hospital appointment that day. The father has a commercial crossing permit, but the boy has no permit. At first he’s detained but after intercession the security forces on site get to work and issue one to him. So it is possible!!! When there’s good will and readiness to listen and help.
The lines are shorter, most worshippers have already hurried through to the mosque, and we hurried away from this evil place.
The soldier at the vehicle crossing (she’s friendly too) showed us a wooden staff – a cudgel? Maybe a baseball bat – booty confiscated from evildoers (she says); she asked us to include it in our report. Let’s hope the best army in the Middle East (according to the Minister of Defense) knows also how to deal with cudgels.
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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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