Qalandiya, February 2, 2011, afternoon
Translator: Charles K.
17:00 Huge traffic jams at both plazas (the southern one – even though vehicles going north aren’t being inspected the traffic arrangements don’t permit a free flow, and at the northern one, where the line of cars stretches all the way to the Qalandiya refugee camp).
We intended to return to Jerusalem and entered the new pedestrian lane restricted to Jerusalemites. The fenced pedestrian corridor begins at the northern plaza but pedestrians aren’t allowed to enter it at the plaza; they have to ride about five meters in a taxi to an opening of the pedestrian lane which brings them to the revolving gate in front of the inspection area. It costs NIS 2 – NIS 6 to ride these 5 meters if you haven’t already arrived by taxi from somewhere else. Someone arriving on their own at the northern plaza who wants to go through the checkpoint for Jerusalem residents will have to pay to enter the checkpoint (Who’s making money from this? Why this strange policy?)
We moved toward the line. A soldier turned to us – “Get out of here, it’s not for you, go to the main checkpoint.” He saw us writing and angrily yelled, “Write whatever you want on your website.” Then he repeated “Code 42” a few times into his speaker phone. Suddenly (maybe it was connected, maybe not), for some unknown reason, the revolving gate leading into the inspection area opened and didn’t stop, as usual, trapping the third person going through. Everyone on line was able to go through. Dozens of people entered the waiting area to put their belongings through the magnemometer.
Then the soldiers began yelling at people to go back where they’d come from, to the other side of the revolving gate. The gate won’t open until the dozens of people who crowded in go back to where they were.
A policeman said: People know they’re supposed to go through in threes, not all at once. That’s no way to behave – a complete lack of self-control. We explained to the policeman that the checkpoint operators were the ones who opened it and let everyone in. The policeman insisted – everyone should know that only three people at a time go through the revolving gate. The soldiers forced them all to go out and made most of them run to the older, main checkpoint located dozens of meters away, intended for people who aren’t residents of Jerusalem. There they were forced to wait on a new line.
People wasted more than an hour in the freezing cold. This needless harassment was due to the soldiers. They caused all the confusion; they were the ones punishing people who wanted only to get home after working or going to school, accusing them of lacking self-control.
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)
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