Qalandiya
Qalandiya
A relatively calm morning.
05.15 When we approached the Palestinian side on foot, the lines were already extending out of the hut. 5 checking stations are open and when the turnstiles open, the lines shorten considerably. We notice a change – the entrances to the cages have all been moved to the left. As a result, the cage closest to the cubicle where the soldier sits is now bordered on its left, by a fence which surrounds ‘our forces’ . this fence is a bit shorter than the cages, so that in fact the end of this queue is fenced only on side. This leads to trouble when the line collapses and there is a scramble. It is unclear why there is this change. But there is one good by-product: Because the passage is now in cages which were previously closed, these have now been opened and cleaned!! Before, there were piles of dirt.
In honour of Ramadan ,there is also a commercial innovation – Inside the hut there is a shopping counter with toys, at present covered with carton because of the early hour. One of the kiosk owners sits on a chair and among the kiosks outside at the entrance one or two are sleeping on mattresses. We went outside to see the place where worshippers enter on Friday, which today is inactive. The parking lot is blocked and empty.
When we returned the policeman who had been there, left. Then a policewoman arrived with a security guard. The DCO officer arrived early today, before 6 a.m. As the lines were short, we wondered if she would open the humanitarian gate early. Just then a woman approached with a baby in her arms and the DCO officer opened it for her. During our stay, the lines got longer and shorter at times, but order was kept and the humanitarian gate opened from time to time. A few security guards came. At one stage the policewoman and one of the guards went to checking station no.5 and we heard a baby’s crying from there. They apparently went to help the mother pass quickly with her baby, because the crying stopped and shortly afterwards the policewoman and guard returned.
At 6.37 we joined the queue. The woman soldier in the checking station was surprised to see us and pressed an emergency button, presumably to call for help, but our Machsomwatch symbol calmed her and no particular delay occurred. By 7 we were already outside.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
-
