Qalandiya - A ray of light in the dark, gloomy shed
05.15. On the Israeli side of the checkpoint there was an unusually large group of men at prayer. When we entered the shed we saw that the lines were very short. Presumably people had passed through too early for their transport and so had time to perform their morning prayer while waiting.
Four checking stations were open. Station no.5 opened a while later, but then shut again. The D.C.O. officer arrived at 6.15 to open the humanitarian gate. Previously, a couple of women had joined the regular line. The generally polite officer approached us to greet us, and explained that the x-ray machine at no.5 had broken down.
By now the lines were getting somewhat longer, extending a bit beyond the shed. A policeman and policewoman arrived, with a guard. Suddenly we heard them shouting towards the queues waiting at the four functioning checkpoints. We then realized that they were telling them that those without packages could use station no.5.
Not only that, but then they and the D.C O. officer told people in the regular lines that anyone without baggage could go via the humanitarian gate(!!) to checking station 5. We thought this might make conditions difficult for women as they arrived – they could, of course, go with packages to any of the other stations – but the men always let them through first. This is the first time we have come across such innovative thinking at Qalandiya! [It may have helped that it was station no.5 that was involved – this is the one closest to the humanitarian gate.]
While we were there one man in the general queue seemed to be ill, with fever. A friend took him to a bench. Natanya, always well stocked for an emergency, gave him Acomol, and they went home.
At 6.50 we joined a line and were quickly through.
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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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