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Qalandiya
Observers: Chana S., Ronit D. (reporting); Translation: Judith Green
A reasonable morning in Qalandiya
We arrived at the checkpoint at about 5:15. Yesterday it was reported that a Palestinian was shot by a guard at the vehicles checkpoint, after he approached the checkpoint and did not respond to commands to stop. The Israeli and the Palestinian sources were divided on the question of whether the man was armed or not. We parked on the Israeli side and made our way by foot to the checkpoint. Usually the passageway for pedestrians inside requires going through several turnstiles, but they were open and it was possible to go through without and security check. Today the first turnstile was locked. While we were still considering what to do, a Palestinian arrived and signaled to us to follow him. We passed through the vehicle checkpoint on foot in the direction of QalandiyaA. Luckily no one tried to arrest us as well as being "suspicious"…
The parking lot was open. The Palestinian behind whom we walked went over to a car parked there. It seemed that he was someone who worked a night shift and was now returning home. We expected to find an enlarged security force inside, but there wasn't. Only at about 5:40 did a policeman and a policewoman arrive. When we arrived, 5 inspection booths were already open and 2 long organized lines were waiting alongside the "cages". A a certain stage, the policeman announced on a loud speaker that the 3 turnstile was open (the one farthest from the aquarium and the spot where we were standing), but people did not pass over to there for some reason. Later,during the morning, all three turnstiles were in use.
Altogether, the lines advanced in a reasonable manner. Because of Ramadan, the bagel and cake sellers do not come and the coffee kiosk was closed. People also did not smoke. Usually everyone is smoking all the time, but during Ramadan there is no smoking. A few women who went through the turnstiles turned to the policeman. It turned out that they wanted to go through without a permit since they were over the permitted age. The policeman explained that they could go through according to the age limits only after 8:00. If they wanted to go through now, they had to produce a work permit, then they could go earlier. There was also an elderly man to whom the policeman gave the same explanation.
Meanwhile, the women joined the lines next to the "cages" at the end, with the result that when P. arrived, the DCO representative, in order to open the Humanitarian Gate, he was at first left without anything to do. But later, when there were lines, he opened the Humanitarian Gate from time to time for women and others who were eligible. Later on, they explained to the older women that they had to wait until 8:00 on the benches, and they didn't go through yet. Other policemen and guards arrived, and, in answer to someone's question to the policeman, a discussion developed concerning the new orders about who was eligible to go through without permits on Fridays. We also had heard on the news that it had been decided to be stricter in comparison to the first 2 Fridays, in the light of the recent events. It seemed that the new orders were also not clear yet for our own forces. Later, we asked the guard what exactly had happened yesterday with the man who was shot at the vehicles checkpoint, but he hadn't even heard about it. Nevertheless, he wasn't exactly disturbed to hear that a man had been shot. "One less", he said. We informed him that the man hadn't died, but was only wounded and hospitalized.
At 6:30, we joined the lines which had shortened and passed through in about a quarter of an hour. We managed to see that P. had left and had told people who had approached the gate that the Humanitarian Gate wouldn't be opened again today.
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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