Qalandiya checkpoint is decorated with greeting signs and lighting for Ramadan
We returned to Qalandiya after a long interval.
06.00. We come later nowadays, as the Palestinians also arrive later thanks to the improvements in the checkpoint. There are decorations in honour of Ramadan – but of course the lights are not on now in the daytime.
When renovation began two years ago we saw four doorways made in the wall near to the traffic checkpoint. Now we noticed that there are screening machines on the Israeli side of one of the doorways. Is it here that men pass on Ramadan Fridays, after passing the positions set up on the other (eastern) side of the area? At any rate, there are signs pointing to the men’s entrances. Women enter during Ramadan through the old checkpoint shed. Their entrance is marked with just a small sign.
Both checkpoints – old and new – have Ramadan greetings. And the new checkpoint has decorative lights. It all looks fine and festive – just a pity that it hides the increasing hurdles against people on their way to prayer.
In the checkpoint itself everything was flowing smoothly. Because of the fast, our friend Abu Ramzi was not there selling beigels, and there was no sign of the kiosk.
For a change, the toilets were open – the women’s, that is – with lights and running water, but they were dirty and smelly.
We stayed about 45 minutes. We passed through quickly, but were called back by a soldier (in Arabic, for some reason: “irja, irja!”). He and a guard checked our I.D. cards for some reason, returning them after a few minutes.
In the café next to the parking lot the tables outside are empty, but we noticed that inside there were some young men smoking and drinking. So apparently there are some people who do this, but they are careful to do so discreetly.
Next week will be Eid el-Fitr, so we won’t be coming. In general, it seems that it is no longer necessary to come every week as in the past.
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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