Qalandiya
A calm morning and pleasant conversation at Qalandiya checkpoint
At 5.15 we arrived, parking as usual on the Israeli side. On the way to the Palestinian side on foot, we are greeted by those who have passed through. Inside, the 5 checking stations are open. The lines were short and remained so. At no stage did the lines extend beyond the hut. The few women who arrived joined the lines entering the passages, from the side. When we arrived, there was already a policeman, as well as the soldier operating the turnstile.
Towards 6 o’clock, two men approached the humanitarian gate. We advised them not to wait there, as it was unlikely that the gate would open and, indeed, there was no need. Women and other people who would normally use the humanitarian gate did not even approach it, because they could pass quickly in the normal line.
We drank tea at the kiosk – which had not been open last week on our visit, because Muhammed, the owner, had stayed home to attend to his sick father. We were invited to sit on stools with three men, who were waiting for transport to Ramallah. They work in the poultry factory Of Yerushalayim in Atarot. They had not heard about the meat that had been smuggled from Ramallah. They had finished their night shift of 12 hours, from 18.00 till 6.00 in the morning. At present there is a lot of work, before Pesach. They tell us that Ramallah is lively and there is a lot of new modern building. They worry about the state of the youth, who are pushed by despair into stabbings and “nonsense.” They ask us who has sent us and we tell them about Machsomwatch. Today conditions are very good at the checkpoint, but they say that earlier in the work it had been very bad. Yesterday the lines stretched all the way across the parking-lot, reaching the road!
At about 6.15 we joined the queue. We noticed that another policeman and security man had arrived. The soldier managing the turnstile announced from time to time which checking stations had short lines and directed people to them. Here, too, people told us of the difficult conditions earlier in the week. Everyone is pleased with a day like today, when everything flowed so quickly and efficiently. Within 15 minutes we were outside, reaching town centre before the morning traffic jams.
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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