Qalandiya
A VERY SLOW MORNING AT QALANDIYA
05.25. When we arrived -a little late – we found two long lines which reached the road, instead of the three usually shorter ones. This seemed to be caused by the fact that the middle turnstile was out of order.
It was hard to work out how many checking stations were open – the number seemed to vary at times between four and five. There was an announcement at one stage that one of the checkpoints was for people without baggage. There was apparently a problem with the loudspeaker, so announcements had to be made by simply shouting, which was not always clear.
The soldier on duty in the cubicle when we arrived tried to help a couple of people – he helped a woman make her way past the crowd inside the cage right up to the turnstile (this was before groups of women arrived). He also made a phone call on behalf of a man who had been turned back at the checkpoint, to solve a problem in his permit. Though this appeal was unsuccessful, we were struck by this unusual show of empathy.
After he was relieved at 6 a.m., there seemed to be a variety of military police, a guard and a policeman.
The D.C.O. officer arrived just before 6.30, by which time a fair crowd had gathered at the humanitarian gate.
We were struck by the calm (resigned? depressed?) behavior of those waiting in line when suddenly, at 6.40, some spark set them off and the usual scramble ensued. In such cases this always leaves space in the shed for us to make our way out easily to see (no visible) progress in the new building. But when we returned we found the lines had formed once again.
By 7.40 the lines extended just a short way out of the shed and we joined one of them. It took 25 minutes for us to pass. (How long would the wait have been for those who had earlier joined the line near the road?) Just before 8 o’clock we noticed that many people were let through the turnstile at once, and then the humanitarian gate was closed and its soldier left.
During our shift we were approached by two men with entry permit problems, whom we referred to Sylvia’s team.
When we came out to the Israel side to catch the bus to town, we found the buses had all been moved to a parking-lot quite far away. We do not know if this is a temporary arrangement.
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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