Qalandiya
A busy but calm morning at Qalandiya
05.15. Inside the checkpoint the lines were not short, but proceeded at a reasonable pace. 5 checking stations were open. The beigel and cigarette sellers were both present, but not the cake seller. The tea kiosk has returned inside the shed.
We met our friend H. who works in a bakery in Mahane Yehuda. I translate his excellent Hebrew for Emma (He speaks some English, too). Because of Pesach he had a week’s holiday. At the end of Shabbat (and Pesach) he wanted to reach his work, because of course they would have to open … He reached Qalandiya but was not allowed to pass because this was after the hours of his permit. His attempts to explain that, as an exception, he had to work in the evening and, just as he was not dangerous working daytime he would not be dangerous working at night, were of no avail. Somehow in the end he worked all night and all the next day to satisfy the Jews’ longing for hametz.
Towards 6 o’clock there were already many waiting for the humanitarian gate to open. Some people despaired and went to fit into the regular lines. After 6.20 we were asked to phone to find out what was happening. We phoned and were told that ‘they are coming.’ And, indeed, while we were still talking we saw a D.C.O. soldier and guard arriving, and the gate opened at 6.25. The D.C.O. soldier was promoted. The rank is shown on his shoulder now, not on his arm. He said that he has signed on for another year.
After the gate was opened, we went to drink tea and see what was happening outside. We saw the beginning of work in the former parking-lot. There is now no asphalt but earth, and it seems that building will begin soon. At about 7.30 we joined one of the queues which by now were very short. After we passed there was practically no line beyond the cages. The next time the turnstiles opened, by which time we were in front of the checking stations, we saw that the cages were completely empty. Of course right away more people arrived. It took us less than 30 minutes to pass.
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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