Qalandiya
A missed watch at Qalandiya!
In the (partly) false belief that the closure against Palestinians from the West Bank was starting already on Saturday night, Natanya and I cancelled our morning watch. However, our expected visitor did arrive at Qalandiya before 5.30 a.m., coming from Ramallah.
L. phoned me at about 5.45 to say that there was a steady stream of people arriving. All the checking stations seemed to be open, as well at the three turnstiles. A few women inserted themselves into the regular lines. At times the cages were quite full. She did not see any personnel. Although she was returning to Ramallah, I suggested that she go through the checking process, which she did shortly after 6 a.m. She felt it was slow, waiting in line 10 minutes – but of course, she has no standards for comparison.
Why ‘partly’ false? Because I have since then, in Mahane Yehuda, met a man whom we often see passing through Qalandiya. He told me that there is indeed a closure, but that ‘some’ are allowed through. What the criteria are I do not know.
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 FleishmanMay-11-2026Qalandiya. Ambulances wait in front of a closed checkpoint
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