Qalandiya
Qalandiya
A very difficult morning at Qalandiya
We arrived at Qalandiya about 5.20. We parked on the Israeli side and went to the checkpoint. Outside was still dark and chilly. On the side of the road people were lighting small fires and sitting around them so as to warm up until the dawn when their transport would arrive.
We went to the Palestinian side. Even though it was early and all five windows were working there were already long queues in the shed and which overflowed deep into the parking lot. In the aquarium sat a soldier and a policeman.
The rate of progress was rather slow and the situation seemed open to trouble. And truly at 5.40 the queues collapsed. Around the entrance to the cages people piled up. Everyone pushing and shouting and trying somehow to get into the cages. Older people and those who did not want to push and shove immediately went to the back. Women also of course who can not stand in such a queue. The benches were filled with those waiting and next to the humanitarian gate many people waited for it to be opened.
A little after 6 the captain from the DCO arrived and afterwards two guards and a little after this a woman policeman. The policeman also came out of the aquarium and helped the captain to classify those waiting next to the gate. To the credit of the captain it must be said that after the first pressure on the humanitarian gate had been eased he often opened the gage even when there were only a few people waiting and did not leave them to wait until the line built up. Together with this he screened with care those who were waiting and many were sent back which of course meant that they had to wait longer. Older people were allowed to pass through without being made to wait until 8.
A little after 7.00 it seemed that the lines were again forming behind the piles of people at the entrance to the cages. But this did not last for long and again broke down. People told us that all last week this had been the same. The kiosk did not open today and it is not sure why. The bagel seller said he had phoned several times to find out why but there had been no answer. Only at about 8.00 were there again orderly line but they were very long. The captain left and the humanitarian gate did not open again, not even when elderly people arrived and a woman with a baby. Only after 8.30 the lines shortened and we joined the queue. We passed within 20 minutes without any special delays.
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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
-