Qalandiya
We arrived at the checkpoing at 08:10. We expected that the checkpoint would be empty, but a huge crowd of people awaited us – mainly women, but not only. The line reached to the end of the shed. The opening of the turnstyle was very slow and the line in the “cages” was equally so. Our guest couldn’t get over the sight, “like cows waiting to be milked”! Before we joined the line and only observed what was going on in the “cages” and around them, the guest asked me if this is way people go through here day by day. “How can they bear this?” And truly, to an outside observer who sees the debacle for the first time, with the eyes of people who line in countries without an occupation and with respect for human rights, the sight of the disgusting checkpoints is simply not understandable.
At 09:20, we joined the line. It took us 20 minutes to get as far as the windows. After we passed the “cage”, we joined the line of women. The shoving was unbearable. The turnstyle to the magnometer and the inspection opened terribly slowly, and only 2-3 women could pass through each time. Very quickly, arguments and shouts were heard. Some of the women, especially those who were pregnant, were about to faint. It felt as though we were being strangled by lack of air and there were women who broke out in tears from desperation. I felt as though I was standing in the line to Hell! The guest was amazed by the restrained behavior of the little children who weren’t totally crushed. We telephoned and begged for help, which took a long time to arrive. After what seemed an eternity, an efficient officer arrived who operated the passage and the crowding slowly gave way. In the lines to the other windows, where the men passed, the passage was quicker, although also there was a lot of shoving. When we tried to find out what caused such a huge impossible crowd like this, they placed the blame on the serious pressure of the month of Ramadan, “which wore out the soldiers”. And what about the Palestinians who were celebrating and the pressure on them?…Again, we heard that many more people went through this year during the fast and on Fridays than in previous years. From our observations of Fridays we got the opposite impression – there were fewer people. Maybe of this is part of the collective punishment which is “going wild” in the occupied territories right now? Two and a quarter hours later, we succeeded in leaving the checkpoint “to freedom” and to breathe clear air.
Innumerable times I have written that “This was the worst day we ever experienced at Qalandiya“, but also today that was our feeling…disgusting!
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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