Qalandiya checkpoint: A Quiet, Fluid Morning
We arrived at 5:45, parked on the southern (“Israeli”) side of the checkpoint on one of the roads leading into the Atarot Industrial Zone, and crossed over the bridge to the northern (“Palestinian”) side of the checkpoint.* This walk alone took a quarter of an hour. (We did not park on the northern side of the checkpoint, as usual, in order to avoid the traffic jam on the road to the Hizmeh checkpoint on our way home. Instead we got stuck in a huge traffic jam on Route 443 at the end of shift.)
After a brief visit with the begele seller, whom we had not seen in a long while, we placed ourselves at the foot of the steps leading up to the building that houses the pedestrian checkpoint. Through the shift we witnessed a steady flow of people into the checkpoint through the three entrances. At no point did a line form. Other than people who wished us a good morning as they passed, only one person approached us for help, in this case regarding an entry permit for his adult son, who has been blacklisted without explanation. We gave him a slip with the information on how to contact Sylvia’s team and he expressed his appreciation.
When the flow of people slowed down, at 7:10 we passed through the security check quickly and returned to our cars without incident.
One of us has a colleague who lives in Kafr Aqeb (north of the checkpoint), passes through it daily on his way to work, and reports that the checkpoint operates smoothly and that he has not incurred any difficulty in quite a while. We came away with the same impression this morning.
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*The Qalandia checkpoint is situated in East Jerusalem, which was annexed to Israel in June 1967. Therefore the terms “Israeli” and “Palestinian” as used here relate only to the matter of the Palestinians’ freedom of movement on each side of the checkpoint
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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