Qalandiya
End of the Bearable Days at Qalandia
The lines already reached into the parking lot when we arrived at 5:30 a.m. All five checking stations were open but the pace of progress was achingly slow, even though the lines to enter the checking stations were short. The soldier responsible for opening the turnstiles at the end of the three “cages” was stingy, both regarding the amount of time between opening the turnstiles and the number of people allowed through each time. His replacement, who took over at 6:00, was more generous – and also benefited from the arrival of the soldier in charge of the Humanitarian Gate, who arrived shortly after he did and provided some guidance. But by that time the damage had already been done from the standpoint of the length of the lines, which at 6:00 already extended very deeply into the parking lot.
At 6:25, because a number of people attempted to jump the queue at the entrance to the cage on the left, the line discipline collapsed altogether, and the next half an hour was marked by shouting and pushing at the entrance to all three cages before the lines slowly began to form again.
Welcome to Classic Qalandiya.
The soldier in charge of the Humanitarian Gate opened it each time a number of people gathered before it from 6:10 to 7:53, when she and the security guards left although the lines into the cages still extended to the entrance to the shed.
We joined one of the lines at 7:40 and exited the checking station at 8:10 with the sense of despair so familiar to us.
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-16-2026Qalandiya CP: shortcut
-