Qalandiya
Morning started quietly but became crowded.
05.15. As we approached, in the cold dark, from the Israeli side, we were pleased to see that there were no queues. All 5 checking stations were open, with people waiting at them. The beigel seller was present, but the tea kiosk did not open at all. The soldier operating the turnstiles was opening only the one nearest her, and this aroused protests. But as there were not many people yet, everyone moved over into this nearest cage – at the beginning, that is. As more people arrived, the lines got longer and threatened to collapse.
On the whole, the queues were orderly, though at one stage, a quarrel between two people developed into fisticuffs. Others rushed to separate them, but tempers continually rose. At one stage the policeman M. intervened and told one of the men involved to clear off. Apparently others warned this man that it is not a good idea to get involved with M. It might cause him delay and even loss of his permit. The man compromised, and went to the back of the line, and things calmed down.
Shortly after 7, the lines began to become shorter. The D.C.O. personnel left and the humanitarian gate was closed. People who arrived there afterwards were sent to the regular lines. But then parents arrived with a small child, attached to an oxygen balloon. The gate was opened for them and also for an elderly couple on their way to hospital. But others were not allowed through.
At 7.45 we joined a queue. It took us 35 minutes to pass.
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-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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