Qalandiya
The new graffiti on the wall is so concretely reminiscent of mosque wall tiles that only the touching hand proves it to be painted, not glued on.
“His daughter is ill, she’s in Hadassah hospital” says a man who wished to make way for a young man, explaining that the latter was in such a hurry to get to his child that he had no time to go apply for a permit.
They entered the inspection post three-by-three, as the rules require.
The soldier across the window, busy fumbling crotch, gave a look at my blue (Israeli) ID and gestured to me with his head, meaning “go on”, proceed, but not exit. For the three who get in together, get out together.
The father kept speaking on the phone the whole time, and continued to do so, holding it between his ear and his shoulder, even when he held up to the window – and the soldier behind it – his green (Palestinian) ID and a letter from the hospital, specifying his daughter’s condition.
“Get back”, said the soldier.
The father did not argue, kept silent, turned around and exited with a worried look on his face.
“Why don’t you let him through to his sick child?” I asked.
“That’s the law. He has no permit”, he answered.
“I don’t know a law that forbids a father to sit by his sick child”, I said.
The soldier was angry, perhaps, offended, perhaps, and locked me inside the passage – no exit, no entry.
The other man who came in with the father and me seemed okay to the soldier and was let out.
“You wait”, said the soldier, his hand still busy with his crotch.
I waited facing him. For me it wasn’t such a big deal waiting even for a long while. It is surely much worse for Palestinians who were stuck outside because of me. I thought they would be angry, but they weren’t – to my surprise they even looked at me with sympathy.
Then second-lieutenant Daniel came and asked me that stupid routine question: “Is everything alright?” and let me go.
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 FleishmanApr-12-2026Qalandiya. Abdallah at his fruit stand
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