Qalandiya
A reasonable morning at Qalandiya.
05.15. Inside we were happy to see that the lines were short. 4 checking stations were open. The beigel seller is back. Our friend H. tells us that his leg that was hurt in the turnstile has improved somewhat, but is still painful. He does not want an operation as recommended by his doctor and meanwhile suffers. His doctor prescribes rest – but in fact his work involves standing 12 hours a day.
Outside we saw that there is the beginning of a roof in the new building sites – apparently a new shed.
Towards 6 a.m. the queues grew longer and stretched out of the shed. A policeman (with a tablet) and a guard arrived. It has been a while since we have seen a policeman here. They checked on the goings-on the policeman entering data on his tablet. We also heard the guard reporting by phone on the speed of progress at the checking stations. As no one had arrived to open the humanitarian gate, we asked the policeman – and he said this is the business of the D.C.O. In spite of this seemingly uninterested reply, we heard him contacting the D.C.O.
Meanwhile, as conditions were calm, women could fit into the general lines. Now and again the fifth checking station opened, but sporadically. The soldier allowed only few people through at each opening of the turnstiles, and we feared that the queues might collapse. But a D.C.O. officer arrived with a guard and they instructed the soldier to open the turnstiles for longer periods. The humanitarian gate opened and people passed there.
At about 6.45 the lines were short and the humanitarian gate was closed. Soon after, we joined a line. It took 20 minutes to pass.
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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