Qalandiya
On Wednesday, July 1, I arrived at the Qalandiya checkpoint in the late morning to meet someone who needs the care of an attorney to close a police file. At this time the place is quite empty.
Yellow transit taxis are parked in the fenced parking lot, and from time to time the drivers announce the destination – Ramallah, Nablus, etc.
On the side near the old checkpoint were placed 2 large bins destined for infectious waste. Probably used masks and gloves. It is not clear what they are supposed to be used for in this location. Those who leave the DCO and the other offices leave on the other side of the shed and those who come from Jerusalem enter the old checkpoint on the other side.
In the plaza under the shed, a table and chair and 2 children sell masks, to bring a few pennies home. When there are no clients the head is stuck on the phone, as is the way of children (and basically of all of us). Most people have masks, but occasionally someone buys because inside they demand to be with a mask. The man who came to meet me was without a mask and refused the children’s offer to sell him one.
Most people who enter go to the DCO or to nearby offices. A few pass to Jerusalem, most of them have blue certificates. The transition was quick and without questions.
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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