Qalandiya
A strangely quiet morning at Qalandiya.
05.15. On arrival we met a number of workers outside on the Israeli side, and others coming out in groups. This seemed to augur well as to conditions inside the checkpoint. (But because people are so uncertain as to how long it will take to pass any particular day, they sometimes come very early only to find that they then have to wait for their transport. You just can’t win!)
Inside we found all 5 checking stations open, and lines extending only slightly beyond the shed. Very soon they were short enough to be easily contained within the shed throughout our watch. At first, women arriving would join the men at the entrance to the cage, but later arrivals would simply join the regular lines which seemed short enough.
The soldier working the turnstiles did so regularly, in spite of his smartphone. He had ,we were told later, come on duty earlier than usual and so we did not see him being replaced.
No line formed at the Humanitarian gate – which was just as well, as no D.C.O. officer arrived to open it. But at 6.30 a guard arrived and at 6.40 he opened the gate ‘for women.’ Immediately there were almost 20 women who had been standing in regular lines, and were allowed through without checking. While the guard was not looking, the women were followed a number of men who thought they would try their luck, but the guard found them and we saw them returning smiling sheepishly to their lines. The guard told us he did not understand why there was no D.C.O. staff. He was joined by a Military Police woman officer, who knew we were from Machsomwatch and greeted us friendlily. Soon after 7 o’clock a D.C.O. officer arrived. By now women were going directly to the gate. We saw a couple of men returning via the gate, but do not know why.
We joined a line at 7.15 and were through at 7.41. But waiting in line at the checking station itself everyone was disgusted at the behavior of the soldiers who seemed to be having a hilarious time. We passed the check without problems. But waiting for the final turnstile to open (there almost always seems to be a delay at this stage), I was called back, only to confront a hefty woman soldier who had something nasty to say about Machsomwatch (I caught the tone, but not the actual words), standing and wiggling her hips at me!
Returning by bus we were caught in a traffic jam from Atarot on. Apparently there was a ‘temporary’ police checkpoint. We could not see it, but were told by people in the front seats, and were happy when it disappeared.
As to the state of the shed, our guest was horrified by the litter – and I had to admit that we have seen worse in the past – and also the stench coming from the lavatories. On the positive side, there seem to be a few more benches, if I am not mistaken.
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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