Qalandiya
05:00 There wasn’t a long line as we expected (it was Purim outside of Jerusalem). Only three inspection gates were open. The pens were filled but the carousels were opened at a reasonable rate.
We saw a young boy in a wheelchair
who waited, along with his father, in front of the aquarium, for the Humanitarian Gate to open. The father explained that the wheelchair would not go through the pens and therefore, they couldn’t pass through to the inspection gates. The boy was in terrible pain. It was obvious that his leg (or his ankle), was broken and they had been sent to a hospital in Jerusalem for emergency treatment. The boy’s face was contorted in pain and it was clear he was suffering a great deal. We tried to explain to the father that the Humanitarian Gate would not open until 06:10, but he wouldn’t listen and kept trying to get the attention of the soldier in the aquarium, to no avail.
After 20 minutes, we could not bear to see the boy’s suffering so I called the Humanitarian Line and spoke with a female soldier. After she understood the situation, she transferred me to the Humanitarian Line of Kalandia. Again I explained the situation to this second female soldier and after she consulted with someone in her office, she promised that the policewoman in charge of Kalandia that day would come to open the Humanitarian Gate. Within 10 minutes, after the policewoman checked the permits and documents of the father and son, she opened the Humanitarian Gate and let them pass through.
If Meira and I had not been there on that morning, the poor child would have had to wait for over an hour in order to receive the right that is due him as a human being: freedom of movement. Why did the boy and his father have to beg for the right of passage? More than that: How will that young boy relate to Israelis in the future? Despite the bureaucracy that prevented him from passing through the checkpoint and a soldier in the aquarium who ignored his suffering, at least there were two Israeli women who cared that day about the boy’s suffering.
06:00 Although workers continued to come to the checkpoint, there was no line and they passed through quickly.
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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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