Qalandiya
A crowded morning at Qalandiya.
05.15. A large group was just finishing their prayers when we arrived. As usual lately only 4 checking stations were open, the fifth one opening at about 6 o’clock. The long lines advanced slowly, but allowing women to fit in the entrance to the cages. The beigel and cake sellers and tea kiosk were all operating in the half dark shed.
At 6 o’clock there were already people waiting at the humanitarian gate. We went out for a few minutes to enjoy the sunrise. When we returned the gate was already being operated by a D.C.O. soldier and a guard. We met an old acquaintance, a member of the family running the tea kiosk. He told us he had been in prison for 7 months, on the grounds of transporting and helping people refused permits by Security, to enter Israel.
At the checkpoint there was no sign of the demonstrations that had apparently taken place at other times, against the Trump declaration. (Last week we did not go to Qalandiya, out of fear of disturbances).
At about 7.30, the lines finally got shorter, and we joined one. Meanwhile the humanitarian gate was closed and the soldier and guard left. While waiting in line we chatted with an English-speaking young man. He works for UNRRA and normally travels in organized transport – but today he overslept. As we reached the checking-point, one could see his lack of experience. A number of times he had to return to take out yet another object from his pockets, or to remove some item and put it in the machine. People behind him began to lose patience. He finally removed his shoes and passed without more whistles from the machine.
It took us some 30 minutes to pass through.
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 FleishmanApr-26-2026Qalandiya. Things you see on the way
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