Qalandiya
We arrived at Qalandiya from Tel Aviv at 05:00. It was a pretty cold morning for us Tel Avivians.
We parked on the Palestinian side and entered the checkpoint building on foot. The five inspection stations were open and the three turnstiles were working. The line in the canopied area was fairly short and the crossing seemed to go relatively smoothly. At 05:15 those seeking to cross had already begun to form long lines which soon stretched beyond the canopy. During the next two hours the line was quiet and orderly. The order and quiet were disrupted instantly when some men tried to butt in line. The three very long lines vanished, replaced by large groups of people crowded at the entrances to the cages. It seemed from the side that people were in danger of being crushed. Almost an hour passed before three orderly lines reformed.
The humanitarian gate opened exactly at 06:00 and admitted people after their permits were inspected.
When we left the checkpoint at 09:00 there were still lines, but they weren’t very long, and additional people didn’t arrive.
Everyone we spoke to said that yesterday, Nov. 6, there were very long lines. Even though five inspection stations were operating each of them let people through terribly slowly.
We had a chance to speak to some people waiting to cross. The general feeling is of great anger and despair, or as one young man who works at the chicken slaughterhouse in Atarot put it, very difficult and shitty…
We also met an architect living on the Palestinian side of the fence, while his family and job are in East Jerusalem. He asked what we did besides observing, and didn’t seem very impressed when we told him about the reports we send to various recipients.
We were able to help two people who had appointments at the passport section of the American consulate, and had they not arrived on time would have had to wait another month. The soldiers agreed to admit them through the humanitarian gate so they could arrived on time.
Another day of the 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 FleishmanJun-28-2026Qalandiya. The bridge leading from Jerusalem to the Qalandiya checkpoint
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