Qalandiya
A reasonable day – for Qalandiya
05.15. We parked in the checkpoint parking lot, which was quite full. The tea kiosk was just then opening, and the beigel seller was already in the hut. All 5 checking stations were already open and there was no queue. One of the signs above the station was out of order but the station itself was open. Inside the ‘aquarium’ (the cubicle where the soldier operating the turnstiles sits) was a policeman, relieving the soldier who soon returned.
05.35. From this time queues began to form at the checking stations and the turnstiles, which had been open till now, were closed. At first a line formed in only one sleeve, but gradually three queues grew as more people arrived, and the hut became very full.
Right from the start we noticed a group of men sitting on one of the back seats. Their number grew until they became a large, animated group. At one stage, two of their members approached us . Apparently they all work for the same employer who is not paying all that they are entitled to. They decided to protest and to strike, and are not going to work today. We gave them the phone number of Kav la-Oved.
Towards 6 a.m. the D.C.O. officer arrived. With the policeman’s help he opened the humanitarian gate for those ‘entitled’. The gate remained open, but the officer was very strict about who was entitled. One person sent back was an old man on a stick. Last week we saw the officer call him from the regular line and open the gate for him – but this time the policeman prevented his using the humanitarian gate! He complained to us that everyone, except this policeman, lets him through. People in the regular queue allowed him to squeeze in among them.
At one stage it looked as if the queues were about to collapse, but a couple of people took responsibility for reorganising the lines. Towards 7 o’clock the lines began to get shorter. Meanwhile a policewoman replaced the policeman, and was joined by two security guards. At 7, the D.C.O. officer left. Women who arrived after 7 were sent to the regular lines. At 7.30 we left.
On our way back to our car, we saw that the parking lot was crowded, cars parked every which-way. Our car was blocked in by a car, but its owner came running. She had taken her son to the checkpoint as he had to go to Jerusalem. She apologised – there was simply nowhere to park.
We drove back via A-Ram. The checkpoint there was manned. Cars were not stopped for checking – but for some reason were being directed to side track on the right, where the road was very rough. We came through Hizme checkpoint. Thanks to the school holidays, traffic was light and we quickly reached the town 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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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