Qalandiya
As it should be
All five checking stations were open when we arrived at 5:30 a.m. and the lines did not extend beyond the cages because the soldier responsible for opening the turnstiles was careful to empty the cages each time she opened them, and her replacement (who came at 6:00) did likewise. The NCO in charge of the Humanitarian Gate arrived at 6:10 but did not operate the gate because the pace of progress through the cages was consistently swift. At 6:35, when the turnstiles at the end of the cages were left open for people to enter freely, we walked through the completed the security check practically without waiting at all!
Various people told us that the previous two mornings (Sunday and Monday) had been unspeakably bad – the amount of time they waited on line and the their level of frustration being beyond words (see the report for Sunday, 25.9.16). We have no explanation for the 180 degree turnabout in the situation this morning and can only speculate that perhaps, after two days of an intolerable situation, many people simply did not return home on Monday and therefore fewer people passed through the checkpoint today. Or perhaps the operation of the checkpoint underwent self-correction, after two days of salient failure, by ensuring the quick pace through the security process. In any case, the Palestinians moving through the checkpoint were pleasantly surprised.
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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