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Qalandiya
Observers: Orit D., Ofra T., Nili F., Michal W. (reporting); Translator: Judith Green
When we arrived at the hour of 9:00, the place with full up to the last benches and beyond. Filth, holes in the floor, broken and dirty faucets. The remains of a bench that were left standing on the floor had become a dangerous obstacle, especially when the checkpoint was full, like today. Still stuck – even though the officer that came to see how Hannah Barag was doing, 2 weeks ago (after she had fallen from the shaky bench), had promised her to fix it by Sunday.
The travelers who arrive in buses from all over the West Bank are supposed to co-ordinate their passage through the various checkpoints previously, before they get to Qalandiya! So, 3 buses with travelers were sent back before they even arrived.
A group of women that were on their way to Haifa and Acre, and hadn't co-ordinated their passage ahead of time, asked us to help to go through Qalandiya. The DCO officer who was present (during the whole shift, a welcome change) was not ready to challenge the rules. After clarification, it turned out that the trip had been co-ordinated with the checkpoint at Na'alin, not at Qalandiya. The bus with the passengers went to Na'alin. Later on, we contacted their "administrator" and she told us that they were stuck in a serious line at Na'alin…another group which arrived while we were at the checkpoint was also sent to Na'alin.
The DCO officer opened the Humanitarian checkpoint once in a while for very elderly people. One should mention that the officer was patient, polite, and tried to help. He listened and answered people politely whenever people arrived who matched the age profile for the Humanitarian checkpoint – opened the gate for them. We told him that the presence of a DCO officer at the checkpoint was very effective, and that we don't usually meet people from the DCO on Fridays. It is infrequent and generally only after a lot of phone calls and wasted time. He claimed that there should be a representative of the DCO there every Friday. But he himself was usually at Abu Dis on Fridays.
At about 10, the line began to move forward quickly and, after half an hour, the place had pretty much emptied out.
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 FleishmanNov-30-2025Qalandiya: Puddles and dirt after the rain
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