Qalandiya
Routine of Occupation
All five checking stations were open when we arrived at 5:30 and the progress forward was slow to reasonable.
The Humanitarian Gate was opened at 6:00 by a security guard, after which a Civil Administration soldier arrived and continued to operate the gate smoothly until the end of the shift.
There were no breakdowns (other than the x-ray machine in station no. 1), incidents, or dramas. One can only be amazed by the fortitude of the people who undergo the daily experience of creeping forward on line without any expectation of change except that things may become worse. As usual, people greeted us on their way to the Humanitarian Gate or from a distance.
At 7:10 we joined the shortest of the three lines through the cages and completed the security check 15 minutes later.
There’s a change in the approach to the pedestrian checkpoint. Now the path runs alongside the fence separating it from the vehicle checkpoint. (As a result, it is easier to see the length of the line outside from within the shed). We also peeked what was once the parking lot attached to the checkpoint and saw that a roundabout has been paved there. This leads us to conclude that the former parking lot is destined to become a road. At the same time, from what we can see from within the shed, the construction of a permanent building to the left of the present pedestrian checkpoint is moving forward. In general, the direction of things here seems to be toward permanence, rather than the tin and screws from which the present checkpoint is constructed. Conclude from that what you will.
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 FleishmanApr-26-2026Qalandiya. Things you see on the way
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