Qalandiya - Dreary but efficient
Dreary – but efficient.
05.15. As usual lately, when we arrived, 4 out of the 5 checking stations were open, the 5th opening at 6.10. The three lines extended about two-thirds of the way towards the road – as we were told by a man who came out of the line, near the cages, to speak to us. He had arrived half-an-hour earlier.
The shed was gloomy and also, as usual, underlit – such a dreary introduction to daily work
A group of six men were praying, with a prayer leader. Later, individuals would pray. All used discarded cartons as improvised prayer mats.
The saving grace today was the attentive and efficient soldier in the aquarium, who frequently opened the turnstiles, letting in many people through each time. No doubt he played his share in causing the calm atmosphere. He kept checking the situation and, in fact, motioned to us to join the line as other women did, not realizing that we were “official” observers, not needing to pass.
The humanitarian gate opened (just after we had phoned -so it was coincidence, not thanks to our nagging) at 6.20, when the D.C.O. officer arrived together with a policeman and guard. (Fortunately people needing the gate had themselves arrived late.) Altogether there were few people needing the humanitarian gate – apart from a family with a very young child, but they had arrived way too early for it, anyway, and they fitted themselves into a queue at the cage entrance.
By 6.50 the lines were very short, within the shed. We joined one soon after 7, and were out in 20 minutes.
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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