Qalandiya
A (relatively) good morning at Qalandiya.
05.15. With days getting shorter, it is still quite dark at this hour, and cold. Inside the shed we were happy to see there were no lines, and the turnstile next to the soldier’s cubicle was left open. The beigel seller was back. 4 checking stations were open, and soon after, the fifth one opened.
Our friend H. called to greet us from the line at the checking station. As lines began to form at the checking stations, the soldier closed the turnstile, but lines hardly extended beyond the cages.
Next week there will be Eid il-Adha from Tuesday till Friday. We will try to come on Sunday or Monday instead.
Towards 6, we went outside. We saw that the pavement edges of the new road have been painted, and there are markings for pedestrian crossings. It seems that at the new roundabout there will be only public transport and private cars will leave from a road that will be paves at the end of what was once the parking lot.
Actually, it would have been possible to drive on this road via the ‘private’ parking lot at its end, but there was a van there blocking the way.
When we returned the soldier had been replaced by a woman soldier. The turnstiles were closed, but every time they were opened everyone waiting was allowed through. Later, only the leftmost turnstile was left open and everyone arriving went through. Everything was quiet and calm this morning, in contrast to last week. At about 6.15 two D.C.O. soldiers arrived, but they left after a few minutes, realizing there was no need to open the humanitarian gate.
At 6.30 we also left and within 15 minutes were outside. There we met Mohammad, the patient from the Jordan valley, and took him to Hadassah Ein Karem.
Last week we saw a rare sight – a streetcleaner was sweeping and gathering litter on the Israeli side (remember that both sides of the checkpoint are the responsibility of Jerusalem municipality). This week the litter had once again piled up…
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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