Qalandiya
A very crowded morning at Qalandiya.
We arrived a little after 05:00. At least two lanes were open at the vehicle checkpoint, and no line! We hoped that was a good sign for the pedestrian checkpoint, but unfortunately we were wrong. The lines already reached the parking lot, three inspection stations inside were open and the crossing went very slowly. At about 05:20 the two remaining stations opened and the lines moved faster.
The loudspeaker announced that lane 4 was limited to people without backpacks or plastic bags. But people with bags continued to go there (almost no one arrives without a plastic bag, apparently containing their lunch, and some have knapsacks and other belongings). The loudspeaker repeated the announcement a few times during the morning. Inspections went faster with all the stations open; the rate was reasonable. People stood patiently and pretty quietly on orderly lines. We couldn’t determine why today’s lines were so long. Perhaps because yesterday was one of our holidays (Independence Day) and closure had been imposed, more people came today, like on a Sunday.
Caroline, a student from Germany, accompanied us today. She’s 
conducting research on the situation. We explained how the checkpoint usually operates. Though at the beginning we’d told her things weren’t so good today, but relatively not bad, we later corrected ourselves, telling her things were definitely bad. While there was no pushing and shouting, the lines went on and on. Toward 6 AM people reported the lines reached the road (i.e., all the way through the parking lot). Caroline went to look; she said they didn’t reach the road, but extended deep into the parking lot.
The humanitarian lane opened slightly after 6 AM; this time many waited to cross because the regular line was very long. Whenever a group of people had collected by the gate an officer came to open it. Slightly before 7 AM we went to see how the lines were outside, and whether the situation had finally eased, but we saw there were still long lines in the parking lot (cf. photos).
We left shortly after 7 AM; the lines were still long. It was particularly discouraging to see people standing quietly, as if accepting their fate. After our two previous shifts, during which the situation with the lines had been reasonable, we hoped steps had been taken to improve conditions at the checkpoint (perhaps as a result of the discussion in the Knesset Public Petitions Committee and the subsequent meeting of the relevant bodies which was reported on the net). It was frustrating to see again such long lines, people wasting many minutes and even hours on them.
The road to the vehicle checkpoint is crowded as usual. People drive the wrong way around the roundabout, trying to save a few minutes on line. The frustrating occupation routine.
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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