Qalandiya
A difficult morning at Qalandiya.
05.15. As usual in the summer, we parked on the Palestinian side of the checkpoint. The parking-lot was very full and there were long lines at the vehicle checkpoint. The beigel seller was at his post, but the tea kiosk was still closed.
All 5 checking stations were open, with a small queue. But soon this grew much longer until there were 3 lines stretching right out of the shed.
Soon after 6 a.m. the D.C.O. officer arrived, joined shortly afterwards by a policewoman and guard. The officer soon opened the Humanitarian Gate, allowing through those entitled to pass and sending others back to the regular lines. Some of these tried to squeeze into the enclosures, infuriating people who were waiting further back in the queue. Suddenly there was a crush, the queues collapsed and a pile of people were scrambling at the entrance to the enclosures.
As usual in such situations, many people just withdrew, filling the benches. It took a long while untile queues re-formed. There were many people waiting at the Humanitarian Gate. A woman with a baby in her arms arrived. The officer, the policewoman and the guard entered the far side of the gate, opened it from there and allowed those waiting at the gate, into the enclosure before the turnstile. The woman with the baby, and some elderly people were allowed through the extra gate next to the turnstile, so that they could quickly reach the checking stations. Subsequently they opened the turnstile a number of times, allowing groups to reach the checking stations. It took 15 minutes until they all passed. Meanwhile more people gathered at the humanitarian gate itself.
Only towards 7 a.m. were three lines finally organized, still long. At 7.30 the lines were a bit shorter and fitted within the shed. The D.C.O. officer was still present and continued to open the humanitarian gate.
We were obliged to leave before all the queues were over. We drove to Jerusalem via A-Ram. The checkpoint there was manned, but most cars passed unchecked. The traffic at Hizme was light so we quickly reached the city centre.
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 FleishmanMay-11-2026Qalandiya. Ambulances wait in front of a closed checkpoint
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