Qalandiya
It is maddening to see an ill girl being passed from hand to hand and from gurney to ambulance and back, inspected in the long and tedious procedure first at Erez Checkpoint and then again at Qalandiya Checkpoint, repeating the ordeal among hands and ambulances in order to finally proceed to Al Najah Hospital in Nablus.
It was raining all day. It was raining in Gaza, raining in Qalandiya and it was certainly raining in Nablus. But no one thought it is wrong that a very ill girl – “He has a very serious illness of the blood” said the Red Crescent man, with her feet stretched and yellowish, her eyes shut, her mouth and nose covered with a surgical mask for fear of infection – no one thought it was wrong to expose her to the rain. Not that there is no other option, for no more than 5 paces from the spot meant for ambulances is a large, sheltered area where vehicles are inspected, bound for Jerusalem. There, under that very large roof, stand the soldiers, policemen and security guards. But not the ill girl from Gaza, who has a very serious illness of the blood.
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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