Qalandiya - accessibility at the checkpoint
On my way to the Palestinian side of the checkpoint, from the height of the bridge, I saw security personnel crowding around a young Palestinian man who was being forced against a wall in a hidden corner. There was something curious about this sight which I couldn’t figure out.
On the other side I was received by Bassel who said that there, in the vehicle checkpoint, an argument ensued between the security guard and the Palestinian who came riding his motorcycle. Bassel didn’t know the reason for this argument, only heard that the security guard yelled at the Palestinian to “shut up”. “No”, answered the Palestinian. “Shut up!” the security guard repeated and called his buddies over. The security guards surrounded the Palestinian, dragged him and his motorcycle to the corner next to the wall surrounding the checkpoint, and punched him with their fists.
When they hit him hard and often enough, they released the wounded victim who got a ride with a friend to get medical attention. The motorcycle remained parked next to the wall.
And the security guards? Continued their work as if nothing had ever happened.
Another thing worth mentioning is the oh-so-narrow passages in the concrete delineating the tracks on the Palestinian side of the checkpoint. How narrow? Narrow enough so that two men who accompanied a crippled woman in a wheelchair had to get her out of the wheelchair, support her beyond the concrete slabs, and the wheelchair – too wide to get through – had to be carried above their heads and back to the ground, where the disabled woman could again be seated in it. Only then could they continue to push the wheelchair and get the woman to her destination.
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 FleishmanNov-30-2025Qalandiya: Puddles and dirt after the rain
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