Qalandiya
A busy morning at Qalandiya.
We reached the checkpoint at Qalandiya at about 5:15. It was cold and dark. Groups of people were gathered around some fires. A large number of people praying together received us at the crossing to Qalandiya. As usual, people moved aside to let us pass. 5 check posts were open inside. When we arrived the lines reached the end of the roofed area, but soon they continued all the way to the parking. Evidently, the strike was over since the place had been cleaned. (Clean might be an exaggeration, but compared to last week's filth it was an improvement.)
The female soldier in the aquarium opened one turnstile out of the three at the end of the fenced-off area. This caused a loud protest from the people in the two other lines. For a moment, it looked as if people would start pushing their way into the line where the turnstile opened. Luckily, it didn’t' happen. The soldier realized her mistake and opened all three turnstiles as the checking continued. The pace was reasonable and women could join the line from the side at the entrance to the fenced-off area.
We met our friend from the "Machane Yehuda Market". He told us that the market is full with security guards, but apart from that there are hardly any people. On Thursdays and Fridays, Jerusalemites do their shopping for the Sabbath. During the rest of the week, the market is empty and businesses are closing.
At about 6 o'clock people came to wait at the humanitarian gate. At 6:10 the policemen arrived and then the security guards, but the female soldier from the DCO arrived at 6:20, and only then did the gate open for the first time. An old man wearing a jalabiya and a jacket and with a kafiya on his head wasn't allowed to cross. Those who cross without a permit (men above the age of 55) may do so only from 8 o'clock. We saw that they let him join the regular line at the entrance to the fenced-off area. We didn't see him return so probably he was allowed to enter before 8 o'clock at the check posts.
At a certain stage, we heard a loud argument among the people waiting in line at check post 1 after having passed through the turnstile. In this carefully guarded area people don't usually push or argue. No policeman, security guard or soldier reacted. Luckily, some of the people waiting in line managed to calm everybody down.
At 7:15, we joined the lines which had become shorter. Soon after 7:20, the people at the humanitarian gate were told that it wouldn't open anymore and they were sent to the regular line. It took us half an hour to cross.
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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