Qalandiya
Apparently, we missed the “action”
On our way from the southern parking lot to the checkpoint, just before 5:30 a.m., a man stopped us to report on the horrid situation in the checkpoint, today and essentially during all the previous weeks. Therefore, upon entering the checkpoint, we were surprised to find the lines relatively short, certainly shorter than what we had expected. All five checking stations were open and the soldier responsible for opening the turnstiles at the end of the three bar-lined passages known as the “cages” let most of the people through each time he opened them. At 6:00, when we saw that the soldier had left the turnstiles open to all newcomers, we went outside for a chat with the beigale seller and the two men socializing with him. It was from them that we learned why this morning impressed us as being so smooth and easy. It turns out that the “action” – the collapse of the lines and the disheartening melee that follows it – had occurred an hour before we arrived (that is, already at 4:30 a.m.). And from this we understood the comment of the man who had stopped us on the road to warn us of the absolutely unreasonable situation inside – a situation, incidentally, that’s been going on for months, not just weeks.
For now, we know of no forecast of when it will be possible to open additional checking stations inside the new building adjoining the present checkpoint. In the meanwhile, the comment of the Civil Administration officer who warned us, a year and a half ago, that things will be worse at Qalandiya before they get better is certainly being played out.
An innovation in the shed: A falafel stand whose operator is already frying his wares at 5:30. Unfortunately, the odor of the bubbling oil is suffocating. We have no desire to detract from the man’s income, but perhaps someone can gently request that he move his kitchen out into the fresh air, especially as when there is a collapse of lines and melee in the shed, that boiling oil can be a genuine danger to the crowd. And perhaps the same Good Samaritan will note that 6 of the 12 lights in the shed have burned out.
A Civil Administration soldier and a security guard arrived at 6:20 to open the Humanitarian Gate. But there really was no need for it because at that hour the turnstiles at the ends of the “cages” were open. And even when they were locked for a few minutes, the soldier in charge of them took care to empty the cages each time he opened them again.
Given this situation, we joined one of the lines going through the cages at 6:30 and concluded the security check in less than 10 minutes (even earning a smile from the soldier to whom we presented our identity cards and MachwomWatch tags). In short, we had a good morning. For the Palestinians who had arrived earlier than we did, it was quite a different story.
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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