Qalandiya - a very calm day.
05.20. There was not the usual prayer group at the parking-lot – perhaps because we were slightly later than usual, or because of the rain that had fallen during the night. The big sign put up by the municipality telling the inhabitants “we are renewing for you” is still on its side, leaning on an electric pole.
Inside, we were pleased to see that there were no queues. The shed was fairly empty, with 5 checking stations open. We met two ecumenical church volunteers – an Irish young man and a Swiss young woman. Usually the volunteers do not come on Wednesdays, but apparently this time they came because they were expecting a delegation from the British Consulate. They told us they were also expecting Ronny Perlman who was coming to meet them. Indeed, shortly afterwards Ronny arrived with a visitor.
Outside there was a splendid sunrise – and no change in the building situation. Shortly before 6.15 a guard, a policeman and the D.C.O. officer arrived, and opened the humanitarian gate. They left soon after, as there was truly no need for them today. There were no lines, and the turnstiles remained open.
At 6.35 we decided there was no point in remaining. Within 5 minutes we were out – by far the quickest ever.
The previous day ,when I [Ronit} came with Liora to sign someone’s appeal, it looked as if the reports the municipality had written against peddlers have indeed prevented them. Usually at this hour the area would be bustling with shopping counters. Today it was totally empty. There were not many cars and so, unusually for us, we returned through the Qalandiya checkpoint (we generally use the Hizme route because of the heavy traffic at Qalandiya). The soldiers checking our car were somewhat confused and did not understand what we were doing there, but after they studied our identity cards they let us continue.
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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