Qalandiya
Started well, ended poorly
Only four of the five checking stations were open when we arrived at 5:30. It was a brutal morning: bone-chilling cold, impenetrable fog, even a heavy rain fell once during the shift. And the burned-out light bulb at the entrance to the shed has still not been replaced (for over two months, now).
However, the lines were contained inside the shed because the soldier controlling the turnstiles was both wise and considerate in allowing many people through each time he opened them — and he opened them often. When he finished his shift and came out of the booth, we shouted “Bravo!” to him and were rewarded with a broad grin.
That was at 6:15, when his replacement began working. Then the situation reversed due to the way in which the soldier was operating the turnstiles and the lack of attention given to it by the policeman and security guards who arrived more or less the same time that he did. Now the lines grew long, beyond the shed and up the narrow path leading to it. In weather like this, having to stand outside is injury added to insult.
A Civil Administration officer arrived at 6:15 and operated the Humanitarian Gate smoothly until the end of the shift (close to 8:00 a.m.).
Incidentally, the fifth checking station (#5) did not open until 6:45 (!!), while some people stood in the sleeve leading to it for close to half an hour in anticipation that the station would be opened forthwith. This station has opened late for a number of weeks now. Needless to say, that it makes the proper operation of the checkpoint more difficult.
At 7:25 we joined the shortest of the lines via the cages and were through the security check in 25 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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