Qalandiya - A slow, aggravating morning
A slow, aggravating morning
All five checking stations were open when we arrived at 5:30 a.m. and the progress of the lines forward through the bar-lined passages called the “cages” was good, thanks to the alert and conscientious soldier responsible for opening the turnstiles at the end of the cages, who took pains to keep track of the length of the lines entering the checking stations and open the turnstiles accordingly. At first, this situation continued even after the change of the guard at 6:00, when a new soldier took over.
But then, at about 6:20, there was a significant slowdown in the pace of work inside the checking stations. And naturally this affected the situation throughout the checkpoint, as the lines waiting to pass through the cages grew consistently longer. A number of people told us that the situation had been similar on the day before. It was assumed that a new group of soldiers had begun a three-month shift at the beginning of the week and was still in learning mode. But that doesn’t explain why earlier in the morning the pace was much faster.
A security guard arrived at the Humanitarian Gate at 5:55 and opened it. At 6:15 he was joined by a Civil Administration officer, and together they operated the gate in good order at least until 7:20. After that, while we were on line, we lost sight of them for about 15 minutes, and when we were able to see the area of the gate again they were gone and the gate was locked.
At 7:20 we joined the shortest of the three lines leading through the cages and it took us 40 minutes to exit the checkpoint – and we were lucky, at that, because the people standing on line to enter the checking station next to ours didn’t move at all while we were slowly making out way forward.
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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