Qalandiya
Returning after Ramadan and Shavuot.
06.00. Nowadays we come later as the Palestinians themselves arrive later, thanks to the easier crossing. On the Israel side there is still a lot of work in progress on roads and sidewalks. The checking machines that we had noticed,s on our previous visit, next to the doors in the wall have been removed. Presumably they were used on Fridays during Ramadan.
On the Palestinian side we were happy to meet our beigel-seller friend, Abu Ramzi, in his usual place. At the very entrance to the checkpoint stood a young man selling cakes from a carton. It was not clear if he belonged to the team running the kiosk, or one who used to sell cakes in the old shed.
The toilets, located in the old shed, were open and lit. Their entrance was relatively clean, but oh, inside… !
The tea kiosk, absent during Ramadan, has returned to its position at the far end of the checkpoint next to the parking lot, and now has seats in the shade.
We noticed that the parking lot had a big poster in honour of Ramadan, which we had not noticed before. Our limited ability in deciphering the Arabic showed us that it had been placed by the owners of the site – with the name in English as “Brothers’ Barking” as would be transliterated by native Arabic speakers.
We stayed for 45 minutes, all the time seeing people entering quickly the two entrances showing green signs; the third entrance had a red sign. Inside, we entered via two different checking stations, without delay.
The trip to the city centre was also smooth. There are signs of summer, although the summer school vacation has not yet started.
In conclusion, it seems clear that there is no need to come here every week as in the past.
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 FleishmanJun-28-2026Qalandiya. The bridge leading from Jerusalem to the Qalandiya checkpoint
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