Qalandiya
Rainy, exceptionally quiet morning at Qalandiya.
05.20. Perhaps because of the rain there were fewer people than usual, and throughout our watch there were no queues. When we arrived it was empty, and as people gradually arrived they passed through right away. A turnstile remained open. 4 checking stations were working.
Perhaps the quiet atmosphere might give a visitor a wrong impression of the usual state at Qalandiya. The advantage, though, was that people were prepared to stop and chat with our visitor, and even let him photograph them. Our friend H. described to him his work in Mahane Yehuda and the long journey he has to make from his village. His return trip home takes 10 minutes, but coming to Jerusalem takes an hour and an uncertain waiting-time at the checkpoint. He also told of the restrictions placed on all the villages of the district after the Har Adar attack, of hardship caused by days of closure, and of low salaries on which social security benefits are based.
Another acquaintance, who works for a large Israeli gas company, also stopped for a long chat with our visitor. He has a steady job, delivering gas over a large area from Maale Adomim to Mavo Horon. He delivers also to Ofer military camp. He has good working conditions and is satisfied. He describes how one’s whole life is organized around the state of the checkpoint and how long it will take on any one day. He said that he has made contact with those responsible for this checkpoint, and lets them know each day about conditions.[I think he meant that if he is at the back of a very long line, he calls them. In response they, too, report to him! Thus before he leaves home in the morning he contacts them and also his friends to find out what conditions are like, and then knows when to leave home …
We went outside to show our visitor – who had been here in the past – the destruction towards the expected renovations. The rain forced us back into the shed. Meanwhile a policeman and after him a woman D.C.O. officer arrived.
We left already at 6.30 and were through in a few minutes.
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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