Qalandiya
A particularly difficult morning at Qalandiya
The lines stretched far into the parking lot this cold, rainy morning when we arrived at 05:10. Only three of the five inspection stations were open; the lines moved annoyingly slowly. We twice telephoned the operations office to no avail (again they claimed they were short of manpower). The remaining stations opened toward 06:00, the humanitarian gate at 06:05. But the damage had already been done – long lines all through the fenced corridors and people upset.
At 05:25 the orderly lines collapsed; men began shoving each other and even came to blows at the entrances to the fenced corridors in order to enter first. It’s a young man’s game: the older men immediately withdraw so they won’t be caught in the congestion and be crushed at the entrance or in the narrow corridors between the bars which everyone calls “the pens.” But, as it happened, the victim this time was a young man who collapsed either at the entrance or within the corridor (it wasn’t possible to see where because of the surrounding crowd) and was taken away by others – at first to rest in the covered area and later (so he’d have air) to the sidewalk outside of the checkpoint entrance. We immediately spoke to the duty policeman who yelled to us to call an ambulance. It turned out the Palestinians had already done so; a Red Crescent ambulance came within 15 minutes despite the terrible traffic jam at the checkpoint.
Because of the incident we heard, of course, twice as many complaints and requests from those waiting about the unacceptable manner in which the checkpoint is managed and what the way it’s run says to the Palestinians (even without any additional harsh words from a soldier or policeman). We recommended to everyone who complained to us (there were many) to encourage their employers to write complaining about the operation of the checkpoint – to the army, the police and to the Ministry of Defense. Some liked the idea; others laughed at it bitterly – and we could only imagine how their bosses treat them.
A physician and two medical students approached us near the humanitarian gate, asking for help. They had permits to participate in a continuing medical education training course at St. John Hospital but the duty policeman wouldn’t allow them through the gate. I called the DCO soldier, asked why they weren’t permitted to go through the humanitarian gate and he allowed them to do so. I mention this only as a small example of the capricious, arbitrary manner in which the checkpoint is run, including how many inspection stations are open during rush hour and who’s allowed to go through the humanitarian gate.
For a few months now I’ve been reporting on the deteriorating situation at Qalandiya, and despite the reports and complaints that have been forwarded to the army there’s been no improvement. The report by European diplomats about the difficult conditions in East Jerusalem, which was published this weekend in Ha’aretz, only strengthens the suspicion (which the Palestinians have been certain of for a long time) that the poor management of the checkpoint is part of the policy of making the lives of Palestinians in the eastern part of the city – and in the West Bank as a whole – as difficult as possible, so that….what? They evaporate? As we were told by one of the people waiting: “If they don’t want us to come to Jerusalem, they shouldn’t give us permits. But they do give us permits, and then make us suffer like this every single morning. Why?”
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 FleishmanApr-27-2025Qalandiya: A beggar woman
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