Qalandiya
As we say, we need to take those who do not know the checkpoint and hear their reactions. Anat even though she is knowledgeable was shocked.
As we walked through the turnstile to get to the shed we could already see it was not a good morning. There were few people in the area of the windows and the shed and the outside line was packed with people. Already at the entrances to the sleeves people were standing one on top of the other. We waited a few minutes and the soldier made no effort to open and stream more people through. What was expected to happen did so. The lines collapsed and the elderly and those not so frantic went and sat on the few benches that were there.
When the soldier saw us he came out and asked if we were Machsomwatch and on our replying to the affirmative started to harangue us that all had been well until we arrived and that the passage had been orderly. He said that people saw us and then began to react in such a way as to cast a shadow on the efficiency of the soldiers. I replied that had he opened the turnstile for the people and let more of them through at one go instead of 10 or so this would not have happened. But realized that I was talking to a blank wall. And even when we turned away he remained outside for a good few minutes instead of returning to his station.
I did phone the DCO and was told that they would check but the phone went dead and they did not get back to me.
Then we were told that the computers had fallen. Many workers took their parcels and left saying there was no point in trying to get through. I asked one or two if I could phone their place of work and explain but they said that the employers were not interested.
This picture was taken at 7.35. The men stood around as there was no point in trying to get into the fray.
One man told us that the buses and cars had not been allowed through the car lane and sent back.
This was corroborated by another young man who has an American passport. He is one of a large family who are all in America but the elderly parents are here and evidently own a lot of shops, lands etc. and as he is the youngest he has come back to look after them and see to their affairs. He said he had come with his car as usual in the morning but they had all been turned back which of course would explain the absolute confusion in the shed. He said I could put his photo in the report but not on facebook as he did not want problems. Also that he had many Israeli friends in Tel Aviv who were always suggesting that he should come and live there
The only good thing I have to say about today is that a woman arrived in a wheel chair just as we were intending to leave and my heart sank but she was waved through by the blond woman soldier.
We got through at something to nine. Even then people were crowding the entrance to the turnstile.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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