Qalandiya
A tough way for workers to start their week.
05.15. Five checking stations were open, and remained so. But the lines extended all the way down to the main road.
Even though the soldier in the cubicle was attentive and opened the turnstiles frequently, the lines constantly seemed endless. Finally, at 6.23 they collapsed completely and it took an hour before they more or less re-formed. There was the usual chaos.
Shortly before 6 a.m. a policeman arrived, and he soon afterwards helped via the humanitarian gate two young families with babies in strollers, seeing them through as far as the checking station itself. It wasn’t clear to us whether this was pre-arranged, or on his own initiative. Other people who had already gathered at the gate, though, had to wait till after 6 when a guard arrived with two women D.C.O. officers (one of whom was apparently a trainee) to open the gate officially. It was a relief to see the gate opened almost on time for a change. As usual, a crowd rushed there from the regular lines, but a guard was adamant about sending back anyone not entitled to pass there.
The humanitarian gate stayed open until 7.55, when anyone still waiting there was sent back.
We were surprised to see, at one stage, the guard and policeman come out into the general area of the shed, and speak with some people waiting.
At 8.05, by which time the lines were at last contained within the shed, we joined one. It took 25 minutes to pass right through.
On the way to the bus – in the rather remote bus park (hopefully, there are plans to make this more accessible) – we once again saw the guard and policeman talking to someone, and then all three walking away.
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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