Qalandiya
We arrived at Qalandiya at 5.30. We parked and went on foot to the Palestinian side. At this time of the year it is already light. Inside we were met with the sight of lines which spread out into the parking lot. All three turnstiles were open and there were three long lines. The parking lot is still blocked and there seems no difference from the previous week. There are still the same building materials and there are no signs of building. H. waves hello to us from the line.
The bagel seller is at his usual site and there is a new addition… a cake stall along the wall which is manned by two men who advertise their wares…..each cake is one shekel. Where the kiosk was is now some sort of alternative which was not opened while we were there. It seems it is used for the sale of CDs and not food. The soldier in the aquarium lets in many people but the lines at the windows are still long and the lines outside are lengthy. All five windows are open but the third seems to be out of order and therefore people who do not have bags or parcels can go through.
Women joined the ordinary line from the side at the entrance to the turnstiles. A little after 6 the soldiers in the aquarium were changed. The new soldier paid his attention wholly to his cellphone and very little to opening the turnstiles. Only when there were hardly any people left near the windows and the people crowded together in the turnstiles began to shout did he open them. The guard and the representative of the DCO arrived as often happens late and began to open the humanitarian gate being careful to only let those with the correct documentation through,. But the guard also ordered the soldier who once again was not bothering to watch what was going to “stream” people though.
A little later the blonde police woman arrived and another guard. Because of the situation of the lines they called to those without bags (including those who had small parcels of food ) and sent them through the humanitarian gate from where they were sent to the third window. The policewoman and the guard went from there to the windows and evidently told the soldiers to let the people through at that window. In the meantime the lines of people again grew and the soldier again took no notice. The guard was busy at the humanitarian gate and so did not call him to task. When the second guard and the policewoman returned the guard called the soldier saying,”Let them through, idiot.” The soldier protested but was kind enough to then carry out his duties and open the turnstiles.
The lines remained long for a fairly long period of time. Also the policewoman and the guards saw this as exceptional. They again allowed some people without bags to go through the humanitarian gate so as to ease the situation.
At 7.50 we joined one of the lines even though there were still many people and the line stretches beyond the shed. (Usually we wait until the lines are shorted but this time we had to get back by 9am). A group of woman going on a trip arrived. They were told that actually they would not be able to pass through Qalandiya but that this would be checked. Later when we were already in the cages we heard that they would be permitted to do so but only after 9am. We hoped that the passage would empty out quickly enough so that they would be able to do so. It took us half an hour to get to the Israeli side. The time that was left we ‘enjoyed’ in the traffic jams going to the city and we arrived dead on time at our destination.
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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