Qalandiya CP, 28.2.2011
We reached Qalandiya at about 3:30 PM. We saw short lines in the two active passageways and found a group of 7 people still waiting to enter the DCO offices, most of them seeking to renew their magnetic cards. We phoned the Humanitarian Hotline and Headquarters to request that the people be allowed through before the offices closed and 4 of the 7di manage to get through when the turnstile was opened. The remaining 3 waited another hour, until 4:30 PM when, after repeated requests, the soldiers in the aquarium who operate both Passageways 4 and 5 received orders to pass them through. Meanwhile Natanya went through Passageway 4 and personally asked the female soldier on duty to take care of those waiting on line in Passageway 5. The soldier answered, very politely, that she only does as she is ordered by her officers so she is not empowered to let the waiting people into the DCO no matter how long they've been waiting. When the appropriate order finally arrived, the soldier closed Passageway 4, sending those on line scurrying to the other open passageway even though it took her no more than five minutes to take care of those in Passageway 5. There were no further problems in the pedestrian passageways, which were not very crowded yesterday.
Natanya and I went over to see what was happening at the bus terminal. We saw a line of buses waiting to fill up, then driving 50 meters and letting their passengers off to go through the examination process. Everyone stood in line (we counted more than 30 people waiting) to have their papers checked before passing through and getting back on the bus that would take them to Jerusalem. This terminal only serves those with blue ID cards. The alternative, going through the old pedestrian passageways, looks much more efficient.
We left Qalandiya at 5 PM and took the detour through A-Ram to Lil/Jabba CP where traffic was flowing smoothly. Traffic was flowing at Hizmeh CP as well.
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Hizma
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Hizma
A checkpoint at the north-eastern entrance to the Jerusalem area which was annexed in 1967, at Pisgat Zeev. The passage is allowed to bearers of blue IDs only. Open 24 hours a day.
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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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