Qalandiya
Same mess, different day
Once again we note that the Qalandiya checkpoint is not built or equipped to handle the number of people who pass through it on a standard weekday morning on their day to work, school, in addition to hospitals, etc. Therefore traversing it, whether on foot or by vehicle, becomes a daily punishment.
We arrived at the Qalandiya checkpoint at 5:20 a.m., at the close of a dramatic night in the nearby Qalandiya refugee camp, including exchanges of fire during an IDF operation to find two soldiers who had entered the camp in error and were trapped there.
But at the checkpoint, life went on as usual: The lines were already extending deep into the parking lot. All five checking stations were open. Timing the opening of the turnstiles leading into them, we found that they opened about once a minute 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 5:55 a.m., we found that it took him 40 minutes to reach the turnstile at the entry to the checking station he chose. We again chose a man at the end of the line at 6:35, but at 7:05 the lines dissolved into chaos, with a mini-riot at the entrances to the “cages,” and we were no longer able to follow our man.
The Humanitarian Gate opened at 6:10, with large groups lining up before it, and continued to operate satisfactorily until we left.
For the second time in the past few months, an UNRWA employee, who is a teacher but does not have the word “teacher” written on his permit – although he carries an UNRWA card identifying him as such – complained to us that the Civil Administration soldier will not allow him to go through the Humanitarian Gate (as teachers are entitled to do). The soldier explain to us (and to him) that the word “teacher” must appear on his permit in order for him to be eligible to use the gate. A woman on the same line (who is entitled to use the gate as a woman) told us she fell into the same category. We suggested to the man that the solution to this issue lies in contacts between UNRWA and the Civil Administration. But he replied that attempts through that channel were unsuccessful. Unfortunately, we did not have a better suggestion.
There was also a small incident when a very chatty elderly Palestinian, carrying an American passport but lacking a permit, who said he was on his way to the American consulate, was turned back three times – first at the Humanitarian Gate and twice after going through the “cages.” Although he was over the age of 55 — and therefore did not require a permit — the soldiers would not allow him to pass through before 8:00 a.m. and explained that to him each time. We attempted to calm him, especially because he impressed us as not being totally stable – and we made that comment to the Civil Administration soldier and the security guard with a request to take it into consideration if they had to deal with him again before 8:00. When we left he was sitting on one of the benches in the shed.
We left at 7:20, by which time the lines had formed again but no longer extended beyond the shed. The Humanitarian Gate was still operating at that time.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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