Qalandiya
05.20. Three long lines extending to the end of the parking lot. (On the lot are piles of building materials, but not sign yet of building activity). The soldier in the aquarium opened turnstiles frequently, but allowing only few through each time. Her replacement at 6 a.m., on the other hand, let through large groups each time. Both of them announced now and again that the first of the five checking stations was open only to those without packages. Apparently the machine there is again out of order.
The lines remained long. A few times there were the beginnings of fights at the entrance to the sleeve nearest the aquarium, but people (often more mature ones) calmed things down.
At 6.02 a guard with two D.C.O. women officers arrived and immediately opened the humanitarian gate, which they continued to do at intervals. But big crowds collected at the gate; many people were seniors who were told to wait until 8 o’clock. We are not sure when exactly the D.C.O. personnel left, but by 8 there were still crowds at the gate. There was an organised group of youth with supervisors, from Taibeh, on their way to a bus tour which would include Haifa. They had been told to wait until 8.
But at 8 the policewoman, who had earlier arrived with a soldier, announced that the humanitarian gate was closed, and everyone – except for a man in a wheelchair – was directed to the regular lines. Everyone was very frustrated by this. The guard had told at least one woman to wait at the gate until the pressure at the checking stations (which was indeed heavy) lessened, so they were confused about what was really happening.
For us personally, the rewarding feature of all this was time to have an interesting conversation with a woman from Ramallah who told us of her Jaffa family’s wanderings after the Nakba. Though she herself was born in Ramallah, she has a longing for the sea, and she was on her way to enjoy a day at the beach in Haifa. Also, we could tell a number of interested women about Machsomwatch and our website.
It was only at 8.20 that the lines were short enough in the shed for us to join one. We found ourselves at checking station no.5, where a number of people were waiting also for the D.C.O. to open, they were told, at 9 a.m.
We finally left at 8.57. But we don’t have to face an ordeal of this kind daily!
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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