Qalandiya
The lines did not extend beyond the entrance to the shed when we arrived at 5:15 a.m., and the situation remained that way, more or less, throughout the shift. All five checking stations were open; the turnstile at the end of the right-side cage had been repaired, so that three lines advanced forward each time the turnstiles were opened. Also, the entrance to the parking lot was still blocked, and we saw no other change there from the previous week.
Since the start of Ramadan, we’ve had the impression – judging by the length of the lines – that fewer people are coming to the checkpoint during the rush hour. We have found no explanation for this. We’d like to report that the shorter lines reflect the fact is that the checkpoint is operating more efficiently, but unfortunately cannot report evidence to that effect either.
A DCO officer and two security guards arrived at 6:15 but the officer sent the young woman who had been waiting by the gate for about 5 minutes to one of the lines progressing through the cages. Some five minutes afterward, when a number of people had gathered by the gate (and had not been sent to the standard lines), the officer opened the gate for them, and one of the security guards called and motioned to the young women who had earlier been sent away to return and avail herself of the gate. We should add that after no few years observing at Qalandia, we have yet to understand the protocol for operating the Humanitarian Gate. Yet perhaps that is the intent: Just as all those who arrive at the checkpoint during the rush hour have no idea what awaits them from day to day, from the standpoint of how much time they will spend there, so at the Humanitarian Gate no one knows from one day to the next when the gate will open, when it will close, and when the soldier or officer in charge of the gate will allow those entitled to use the it to pass through it and when he will send them away. In any case, this morning the gate was opened at 6:25 (ten minutes after the officer arrived) and he left 15 minutes later.
At 7:05, by which time the cages were emptying each time the turnstiles were opened, we joined one of the lines and completed the security check a quarter of an hour later.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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