Qalandiya
04.00-07.30. The Chinese television reporter interviewed me at home at 4 in the morning, and photographed me leaving for the checkpoint. Natanya and Chana arrived directly to the checkpoint towards 05.15. The lines were long but advanced at a ‘reasonable’ pace. By 07.00 the place was already empty. The ‘Humanitarian’ checkpoint opened only at 06.30. When we asked the officer for the reason for the delay, we heard “There is a shortage of manpower.” We didn’t know whether to laugh or cry … a shortage of manpower?
We learned that today there was a calling up of new checkpoint soldiers – Till when will this crime continue???
The building project seems to have stopped – perhaps the funds have run out?? What do you think?- Perhaps they have had regrets and decided to close Qalandiya (ha!ha!ha!)
A bit of comfort – one man blessed us for our presence.
Towards 07.30 we left, and crossed within seconds.
Qalandiya and all her ‘sisters’ are a crime. Free movement is a fundamental right of human rights, and this right is trampled on daily and hourly by Israel the occupier. It is our duty to protest this till the end of the Occupation!
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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
-