Qalandiya
Another morning of anger and despair
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 way to work, school, hospitals, etc. Therefore traversing it, whether on foot or by vehicle, becomes a daily punishment.
When we arrived at the checkpoint at 5:30 a.m., four of the five checking stations were open and the pace of progress was accordingly slow. By 6:00 the lines reached deep into the parking lot even though the fifth checking station opened at 5:40. At approximately the same time, when we were about to follow the progress of a man at the end of one of the lines to see how long it would take him to enter a checking station, the three lines dissolved and the shed was filled with a crowd of exasperated and angry men divided into two camps: those who took out their frustration on one another by pushing and shouting at the entrance to the three “cages,” and those who distanced themselves from the melee (mostly older or wiser men) for fear of being physically harmed. This situation continued until about 6:30, when something resembling lines began to form again.
The Humanitarian Gate was opened at 6:30, after we had twice called the DCO, by the Civil Administration soldier who is known for her propensity to turn up late and close the gate early. By that point, due to the brutal pushing and shouting at the entrance to the “cages,” no few men who are not entitled to pass through the Humanitarian Gate had gathered on line in front of it in the hope of somehow getting through. The soldier tried to separate them from the women and older men who are eligible to use the gate, not always successfully. She continued to open the gate at intervals until about 7:30, when she left although the lines through the cages still extended beyond the shed.
At 7:35 we also joined one of the lines, which still reached the curb of the parking lot, slowly moved through the cage and the checking station, and left the checkpoint at 8:10, meaning 35 minutes after we joined the line – and this was already after the “peak,” as the soldiers call the morning “rush hour” at the checkpoints.
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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