Qalandiya
05.30. On arrival we were happy to find no queues and five checking stations open. All the (short) time we were there, the leftmost turnstile was left open and everyone arriving passed through immediately. The beigel-seller was back, recovered from last week’s illness. Our friend H. passed too quickly for us to ask about his wounded leg, but it looked as if it was in improved state.
We explained to our visitors the general set-up and they saw both inside and outside the shed. We walked to the Qlandiya camp to see the graffiti on their side of the wall. We bought coffee at a kiosk there as there is no longer one at the shed. It would be interesting to see if, once the building process is finished, there will be now an Israeli kiosk, like those at other checkpoints.
When we returned to the shed we met our colleagues Hanna Barag and Ronny Perlman with a Japanese journalist. He photographed and also interviewed one of our acquaintances, N., who is always ready to stop and chat. N. said that at the beginning of the week there were members of Blue and White, the right-wing human rights group. He is on good terms with them all. He also showed us a picture of a religious woman journalist (possibly a settler) who comes occasionally to the checkpoint. He has pictures, too, of less calm days and shows the journalist what the place looks like on a day of chaos. Ronit also has a film that a Palestinian had made on such a day and that he sent her, and our visitors could not believe their eyes.
Changing of the guard was late this morning, and no one came to open the humanitarian gate. Indeed, there was no need, as entry was so quick.
However, the mother and daughter – our visitors – had entered Israel on Israeli passports (the mother having lived in Israel in the past), but came to the checkpoint with only their American passports which did not contain visas. The soldier explained that he could not let them through without the visa (the little note that one gets at Ben Gurion airport). These are the rules. So as not to hold back others in the queue, our visitors went back with Chana. Sophia and Ronit continued through to the Israeli side, and returned to the Palestinian side in the car. They collected the rest of us and we drove to Hizme checkpoint which we passed without any check at all. Fortunately, because of the school holidays there was only light traffic both on the way to Hizme and then to the city centre.
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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