Qalandiya
A morning of tension and grievances
Not for the first time we note that the Qalandiya checkpoint is not built or equipped to handle the number of people who may pass through it on a standard weekday morning on their day to work, school, in addition to hospitals, etc.
When we arrived at 5:20 a.m., the lines were already extending beyond the shack into the parking lot.
In the shack, only four of the 12 ceiling lights were working and some areas were totally darkened. All five checking stations were open. Timing the opening of the turnstiles leading into them, we found that they opened between 45 and 50 seconds to allow in three people each time.
Nevertheless, when followed a randomly chosen man from the end of one of the three lines (deep in the parking lot) at 6:30 a.m., we found that it took him 45 minutes to reach the turnstile at the entry to the checking station he chose. It shouldn’t be surprising, therefore that we heard no few expressions of anger and grievance during the three hours we were there.
The Humanitarian Gate operated between 6:15 and 8:15, opening at segments of 5-10 minutes, depending on the number of people who gathered at the gate.
We left at 8:15, by which time the “cages” were empty.
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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-12-2026Qalandiya. Abdallah at his fruit stand
-