Qalandiya and Jib, Wednesday, March 7 AM
05:30 Right at the entrance to the checkpoint police check – our papers were checked too. Weird because there is no traffic towards Ramallah at this time of the day
When we arrived only 2 windows were operating and the hall was full of people.
we felt the need to call the DCO and we were told the officer is in Qalandiya and will see and it took some time and at 06:15 all 5 windows were operating.
What the authorities did have time and resources for was to add more and more wiring over the narrow access to caroussels so that frustrated ablebodied people cannot jump the queue any more.
One angry man in the queue turned to us and in Arabic we could understand accused us that this suffering has been going on for 20 years (he said) and we do nothing to stop it. It was hard to hear this and another man in the queue said he didn't want to translate what he said . He really wanted to spare us from frustration!!!
Jib
It was a beautiful early spring morning and the checkpoint is situated at the edge of the village and all the fruit and olive trees were so fresh next to the metal and wire and the filth next to the turn stile. There were almost no people waiting there but the people assured us that there are bad days,too.
it seemed to us that at both checkpoints there is a unit of soldiers who are trying to be efficient and polite.
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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