Qalandiya
Third Friday in the month of the Ramadan
At Qalandiya, on the third Friday in the month of the Ramadan, just another regular day it seems. But actually, there never is just another regular day at Qalandiya. It may seem so, but no. How can you call it a normal life, when more than 50% of the Palestinian 
population is prevented from fulfilling the mitzvah of praying in the El-Aqsa Mosque? And what kind of a regular life is it, when the barrel of a gun greets you at the checkpoint and masked faces look at you from the firing posts; when a disabled elderly couple breathing heavily and supporting each other is ordered to go separate lanes, because according to the rules of the third Friday in the month of the Ramadan
men pass through one lane and women through another; when a father carrying his little daughter is disgracefully sent back since his age is not right?
And what about the children who turned 14 not long ago and who have to turn back hearing the shouts of a soldier: "Fourteen years and a day –you're not allowed to pass!" ?
And above all, the war in Gaza where relatives and friends are being killed strips the words "a regular day, it seems" of any meaning – an ominous dark cloud makes it hard to breathe.
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 FleishmanApr-26-2026Qalandiya. Things you see on the way
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