Qalandiya
10:00 – 13:00
Qalandiya is an awful sight even with hardly any people around. It’s good to visit the checkpoint together with people who do not know it, because then you see it in all its “glory”. The empty cages with the barbed wire-fences above them leave no room for doubt about the humiliation and anger of those who have to pass through them. The Palestinians won’t forget the suffering and humiliation they experience at the checkpoints. No revenge is like the revenge of the humiliated.
The guests are two artists, a sculptor and a video artist, who are planning to create a work of art expressing what we see today – in one way or another, and as far as possible, with our cooperation.
About a hundred people, mainly women, crossed while we were watching the checkpoint. The crossing was slow, probably since most of the women, especially the old ones, don’t know the “procedure”, the taking off of shoes and the gathering of all their belongings are a problem for old people. The communication with the soldiers isn’t simple, although there were no clashes. Many reports have been written about the terrible filth, and now after the rain, the situation is even worse. Almost all the benches have disappeared – probably through the years. One woman was sitting on one of the few benches still left. She was freezing cold while waiting for her transportation to Gaza. (Qalandiya seems to be the coldest place in the world.) The hospitals are informed about the hours of transportation to Gaza, so it’s hard to understand why they don’t release the patients accordingly.
At the entrance to the checkpoint from the direction of Jerusalem a big sign shows what the place will look like when the renovations are completed. That is, meanwhile the occupation is still going on and we will probably keep watching Qalandiya “until the end of time”.
We returned to Jerusalem through Shoafat which was crowded with people. Many new shops have opened and the place is full of life.
One more day of occupation!
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-16-2026Qalandiya CP: shortcut
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