Qalandiya - complaints about the security guards
We reached Qalandiya at about 5:15. It was dark and cool outside. On the Palestinian side, there were five inspection posts which were open most of the time. The lines reached the edge of the shed. The rate of passage seems reasonable. The bagel vendor was again sitting on the bench outside the shed, next to the kiosk which had recently begun working again. The relatively new falafel and food stall is is now inside the shed.
All three turnstiles are now working .Later in the morning, the lines occasionally continue outside the shed. A man approached us and asked how he could complain about the security guards. Relates that one day, following a confrontation he had with another Palestinian in the area in front of the inspection posts, they took his permit and documents. When he went to ask them back, the security guard tore the permit to his eyes. There was an argument and he was taken to a side room where he was beaten brutally by the guards. He said that they threw a knife towards him which fell on the floor but he did not lift it up so that they would have a reason to shoot him. He said that there was also a policeman who did not take part in the beating who was also present, but he did nothing to stop the beating. We directed him to Hanna Barag in the hope that she would be able to help him as to to whom to complain.
After 6 people begin to gather near the humanitarian gate. A police officer arrives, but could not say when the DCO would arrive to open the gate. the gate was only opened much later and after several phone calls which did not help.
At 7:25 the lines were shortened and we joined one of them. As usual, after passing through the pens, you have to choose which inspection station to wait for. The window we chose closed and we had to wait until it opened once more.
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 FleishmanApr-12-2026Qalandiya. Abdallah at his fruit stand
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