Qalandiya
No urgent problems – time to look around
5:00 to 6:45 Most of the time, people were crossing fast so we did not communicate with the workers or the soldiers. From 6:00 to 6:30 the pace slowed down and the lines next to the three fenced-off-areas became longer. After a while they were quite short again.
How come?
1. All the check posts opened on time.
2. Evidently, the soldiers were working efficiently (when we had a look at check post 1 from the outside they seemed alert and did their job).
3. The soldier in the "aquarium" was not bothered by too long lines at the check posts so he could leave the fenced-off-areas open for a relatively long time.
4. And maybe – there were less workers. We did not see the known faces of the men working at Atarot. Could it be that, as planned, the bus to Atarot had started running?
Remarks:
1. While not having to deal with any urgent problems you become more aware of the poor conditions that remain unchanged: the filthy square, the rickety benches (you have to choose carefully where to sit to avoid falling), and the strong smell of urine coming from the toilets. Why not turn the checkpoint into a decent place where the people who cross the border may feel respected.
2. The humanitarian gate has turned into a faint memory. We didn't see any DCO soldier coming to open it. The women and old people gathering there to be let through at 6:00 soon gave up and quickly joined the lines in the fenced-off-areas.
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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