Qalandiya
05.15. A cold, drizzly morning, still dark when we arrived. On the Israeli side there were already many people waiting for transport. There was an ecumenical volunteer outside, as well as one inside the hut. There were long queues stretching beyond the hut itself. 5 checking stations were open; the kiosk was open and the beigel seller was there.
The soldier in the ‘aquarium’ kept opening only 2 of the 3 turnstiles, which of course angered those waiting in the third cage, and finally led to some of them breaking into the lines waiting for the first two turntiles causing chaos. A guard who arrived claime that the soldier was experienced and ‘knows what she is doing.’ In his view, this wasn’t chaos. (Later, on our way out, we saw hanging on the inner side of the third turnstile, a sign saying ‘Exit.’ Perhaps because of this the soldier didn’t open that turnstile as an entry?) The fact that there wasn’t total chaos, as sometimes happens, doesn’t justify this way of functioning. If they don’t intend to allow people to pass through a particular turnstile, they should bar the entrance to that cage and not let people wait inside only to find later that they won’t be allowed through.
At about 6 a.m. a policeman and policewoman arrived, and then they began letting people in the third cage to go through their turnstile – and luckily order quite quickly was restored. At one stage the policewoman and the guard went and brought back someone who had already gone through the turnstile, not clear why. the policeman took him out via the back exit (which shows that there is another possible exit). The lines were still very long, reaching the parking lot. Many people were already waiting at the Humanitarian gate which opened at 6.10. The D.C.O. officer greeted everyone politely. But even after going through the gate people had to wait until the second turnstile was opened, so it was 6.17 by the time the first people at the humanitarian gate reached the checking stations.
At about 7, when the lines were already much shorter, we joined one. It took 20 minutes to pass through. Meanwhile we saw that the D.C.O. officer close the gate and depart. The woman soldier in the checking station was surprised to see us but soldier next to her told her to let us go. She obviously didn’t like our presence and said roughly ‘go away.’ At least she didn’t say ‘kishta,’ as we heard her say to one of the Palestinians.
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-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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