Qalandiya
05:00 There was a long line as is always the case on Sundays. Only three inspection windows were open. The carousels opened very slowly so the cages were packed densely with workers eager to get through the lines. Women who arrived before the Humanitarian Gate opened waited outside the line of workers so they would not be mixed in with the men. As soon as the carousel opened, the women hurried to get in line and merge with the men. The men were always polite and let the women in even though the men were also in a hurry to get to the inspection windows.
M. was the policeman on duty and he behaved like a bully as he always does. Three students (two young women and a young man) who are studying for a Master’s Degree in Business Administration at Tel Aviv University came to the Humanitarian Gate together with proper permits. They usually pass through the Humanitarian Gate together, but not this time. M. allowed the two young women to pass but would not allow the young man. M. sent him to the line of workers and only after 20 minutes he passed through the inspection gate to the other side where the two female students waited for him.
Another man also came with a proper permit to pass through the Humanitarian Gate so that he could receive treatments at Hadassah Hospital. I remembered him from the week before. M. did not let him pass last week and again this week. When we asked the man why M. refused to let him pass, he said he was not given a reason. We watched the two incidents and saw the joy on M.’s face as he sent the student and the man who wanted to go to Hadassah back to the cages of workers in line. We did not imagine M.’s reaction. Six members of the volunteer organization EAPPI (the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel) and the two Norwegian students also saw it and spoke about it.
07:00 Although workers continued to come to the check point, the lines were not long and the workers passed through in reasonable time. We left at 07:15.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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