Qalandiya
Qalandia CP
At nine o’clock in the morning the place was almost empty and the flow of people very sparse. The dirt was worse than usual, one of the big faucets was out of order and was full of cigarette butts.A taxi driver with whom we talked reported that in the last three weeks the number of people who passed by the checkpoint decreased gradually and the process of dealing with the people became quicker. He connected the decrease in the number of persons to the beginning of the school year at the Palestinian schools -the 28th. In reply to our question regarding the responsibility for the cleanliness of the place he explained that the cleaner, who is employed by the cleaning company working there, doesn’t work on Fridays. He also told us that is has been four months that is no water in the toilets.
At 09:30 an external passage was closed and another was opened. We had to direct the people to the open passage. It is not clear why they didn’t open all the external passages.
All the five internal passages were open. An elderly man came to us and told us that although he is over 65 years old and has never been arrested, he wasn’t allowed to pass.
He said that he would try to pass again in an hour or two. Gradually more people arrived but the passage proceeded quickly and without problems.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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