Qalandiya
05.15. We parked in the parking-lot and walked towards the Palestinian side. Next to the parking-lot is a café which is already full of people, drinking coffee, smoking and chatting, waiting for their transport. As it is still so early, there are people lying asleep on the pavement. One can never know how long passing through the checkpoint will take on a particular day, so people set out very early from home. Then, when passage is unexpectedly quick, they sometimes exploit this free time to catch up on their sleep!
When we got to the Palestinian side we were happy to see that there almost no lines. All 5 checking stations were open. The turnstile next to the soldier’s cubicle was left open, so everyone could enter right away. The beigel seller was in his usual place, and the kiosk opened soon after. We have not seen the cake seller since Ramadan – it seems these are now sold at the kiosk.
Later the soldier would close the turnstile from time to time if there seemed to be pressure at the checking stations, but queues disappeared quickly. At 5.45 a policeman came, but left soon after. Towards 6 o’clock there were more people and short lines formed in two of the lanes, afterwards in all three. At 6 there was a changing of the guard between soldiers in the cubicle and, soon afterwards, a DCO officer. Because of the short lines, people did not approach the humanitarian gate, at this stage.
Soon after 6, pressure began to build up, but the turnstiles opened regularly. At this point people started going to the humanitarian gate, but the officer sent them to the regular line. We wondered if this was because he was alone, without a policeman or a guard.
For personal reasons we had to leave early today, and so joined one of the queues at 6.15. We advanced quite quickly and noticed later that a policewoman had arrived. In spite of this, though, the DCO officer continued to send people to the regular line and did not open the humanitarian gate.
At the checking station the woman soldier was surprised to see us. Ronit had to pass to her, physically, her identity card. The soldier consulted her colleagues, typed her computer, phoned somebody – and only then asked what she was doing there, but the answer that we were from Machsomwatch satisfied her, the card was returned and we were allowed to pass. We apologized to the Palestinians behind us, who were delayed because of us. In spite of all this we passed within less than 25 minutes altogether.
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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