Qalandiya - Crowding of vehicles and pedestrians, invitation to disaster.
A fluid and quiet morning
We reached the checkpoint at 6:00 a.m., left it just after 7:00, and in between, it was a totally fluid and quiet morning. Some people greeted us “Good morning” in Hebrew or Arabic, but no one approached us to ask for help or just report on something that may have occurred when we were not on duty. Our passage through the security check was also swift and smooth. The number of school pupils passing through the checkpoint seemed to be more than usual, but that was just our impression (we did not count them).
Since our last shift at Qalandiya, after which we reported at length about the problems the bridge places before elderly people, the powers that be made the approach to and exit from it even more difficult for those moving in both directions. What’s more, due to laying the groundwork for residential construction in the area of the former airport (adjacent to the bridge), the buses and taxis now crowd together, pointing in varying directions, close to the entry to/exit from the bridge. The result is the constant movement of vehicles and pedestrians in the same very limited space. As we see it, this situation invites tragedy, sooner or later. We recommend that those responsible for the checkpoint visit this area at peak hours and see for themselves, so that after the fact they won’t have to stand before a commission of inquiry.
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-26-2026Qalandiya. Things you see on the way
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