Qalandiya
An appalling situation at Qalandiya – nothing new!
06:00 We arrived late. The crowd was big and the line went on and on. Evidently, due to the large number of people we had missed the opening of the humanitarian gate. We were told it had opened. The whole procedure was extremely slow. People standing glued to each other in the fenced-off areas were being squeezed and pushed around. People waiting outside these areas kept pushing while trying to get in – an awful situation. People were cursing and complaining – not hard to understand. We didn't manage to talk to anybody. We made some calls, the best we could do to help. It helped somewhat, but these tiny cosmetic improvements don't change the facts. This place is hell on earth. Sometime, we'll have to pay the price for this.
Our guest didn't believe her eyes. She kept saying she would never forget what she had seen at Qalandiya.
It was no use trying to figure out at what intervals the turnstile opened, since anyway, in this impossible situation people wouldn't be able to cross at a reasonable pace.
At 08:00, maybe due to our calls, the "humanitarian" gate opened again. People were allowed to cross but only after a thorough check making sure they had their permits. Then they could join the crowds at the windows. The authorities call it "special rights"!
When we left at 08:30 the line was still very long. It's no use describing the filth, the stinking toilets and the broken benches. That's how it is and how it will remain, it seems, since after all, who cares?!
One more day at Qalandiya!
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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