Qalandiya
A reasonable day at Qalandiya.
05.15. As expected, there were already many people relative to the numbers usual at this hour. This is because of Ramadan – people get up before dawn to eat before beginning the fast, and so already leave for the checkpoint. When we arrived, day was already beginning, but we could still see the full moon. In the square in front of the checkpoint (on the Israel side) there was lighting in honour of Ramadan.
Inside the shed were lines which extended just slightly outside it. Only 3 checking stations were open all the time – no.1 was altogether closed for some reason, no.5 opened and closed sporadically. The soldier in the aquarium delayed sometimes to open the turnstiles, but heard when the people in the cages shouted to her, and then allowed in large numbers each time. The lines got short and long in turns, sometimes fiiting inside the shed and extending outside at others. Our friend H. called us from inside a line and, together with his companions, complained about there being only 3 stations open. We contacted the office and shortly afterwards no.5 opened (again), but no.1 remained closed.
Today again we had arranged to meet M., a cancer patient from Jordan valley, to take him to Hadassah. We asked him not to come quite as early as last week, and also to contact us from the Israel side if he passed through by car. At about 6 he phoned to say that he had arrived there. We wanted to wait until at least the humanitarian gate would open. A little after 6 there was a changing of soldiers in the aquarium. The new soldier came out every now and then to check on the situation. He opened the turnstiles frequently, but let in few at a time.
At 6.15 the humanitarian gate was opened, by a D.C.O. officer and a guard. We checked outside and saw there were short lines. At about 6.30 we decided to leave – this time through the humanitarian gate, so as to reach M. quickly. While passing we talked with the D.C.O. man and the guard and asked them to tell the soldier to let more people through each time, so as not to make the people waiting in line feel even more frustrated. When we explained why we were using the humanitarian gate, the guard offered to help us bypass the queue at the checking station, an offer we accepted.
On the Israeli side we met M. who was waiting at the parking-lot. Traffic was reasonable and we arrived relatively quickly at Hadassah Ein Karem. We parted from M. at Mahon Sharett with wishes for his good health.
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 FleishmanJun-25-2025Qalandia: West Bank man injured in both legs
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