Qalandiya
5:40 When we approached the checkpoint we saw a steady stream of both vehicles and pedestrians exiting. We parked and crossed on foot. The line of pedestrians waiting to cross into Israel stretched out into the parking lot, but they all stood quietly, with exemplary patience. The roads leading to the checkpoint were jammed as far as the eye could see, but there too there was steady movement. Five stations were open in the checkpoint, and the lines moved quickly.
We met two foreign volunteers, from EAPPI. They told us they had been at the checkpoint since 4:30, at which time only three lines were open. They said they come to Qalandiya three times a week.
In the course of the morning we watched several men from the time they joined the line beyond the roofed area, until they reached the head of the line. In each case it took them ten to twelve minutes.
6:05 A few women started gathering by the humanitarian gate. The younger woman from EAPPI phoned the DCO to ask them to open the gate. I had decided not to phone, to see how they would behave without being pestered, but I didn't react in time to stop her.
6:27 A soldier arrived and spoke, through the bars, with the people waiting at the humanitarian gate. (By this time there were around twenty women and elderly men waiting.) The gate opened, half an hour late. In a minute it closed. It opened for another pulse ten minutes later.
A young man escorted an elderly woman to the humanitarian gate, and wasn't allowed to pass through with her. He slipped into the head of the general line, and people let him do it. A few minutes later someone else pushed into the head of the line, and the people who had been waiting shouted at him. Except for this incident, everyone was remarkably well-behaved.
6:50 We got into the line. A man ahead of us couldn't pass the metal detector, his coat made it beep. After several tries, a soldier came out and examined the coat, and let the man (and us, everyone behind him in line) continue.
7:20 We came through, said goodbye to the EAPPI volunteers, and drove home.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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