Qalandiya
A calm morning at Qalandiya.
06.15. After a long corona-induced break, we returned to Qalandiya. When we arrived at 6.15 we saw relatively few people on the Israel side but a steady flow of people on the pedestrian bridge. On our way to the bridge, we were already accosted by a couple of people with problems of entry permission, whom we referred to Sylvia’s team. They invited us to drink coffee with them, but we explained we had to see what was happening on the Palestinian side.
On the Palestinian side, we found two entrances that had green signs and they stayed open all the time. There were no queues and everyone arriving entered right away. There is a new large poster at one entrance entitled “Green suits you” with, written underneath, “I am well, my neighbor is well, the city is well.” Does this refer to Corona?
We were happy to meet Abu Ramzi, the beigel seller. Now that the gate facing the refugee camp is closed, everyone approaches the checkpoint from the (east) Al-Ram direction, so he stands at that entrance. He was in a good mood – now that he has had his cataract operation his sight has much improved. He thanks all our members who helped finance this. He said he had the operation in Ramallah where he had a general medical checkup, with favorable results.
Abu Ramzi says he now brings less merchandise [less weight to pull?]. He arrives at about 4.30 when there are already people passing through, and stays until he has sold everything. When we came he had already run out of eggs and falafel balls, and the few remaining beigels vanished while we were there. According to him, there isn’t much corona about and everything is okay.
The “kiosk” is now located in a large commercial vehicle in the parking lot. We met Muhammed but could not buy tea as they had run out of gas. We returned to the checkpoint where all was calm. We waited until 7 o’clock and then entered – and were through in a couple of minutes.
As soon as one exits on the Israeli side, one is confronted by the pedestrian bridge which one can cross either by climbing up steps or by a winding ramp. At the beginning of the ramp is a concrete wall supporting the end of the bridge close to the ground. Young folk exploit this to jump over and avoid the long schlep over the bridge. True, the bridge is intended for the safety of those crossing the road, but this is much quicker.
On the way back to our car, we were happy to see the sun lighting up a field next to the road, green and fresh and dotted with anemones. But the phone camera could not do them justice.
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-16-2026Qalandiya CP: shortcut
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