Qalandiya - filth and rubbish everywhere and only little traffic
We arrived at Qalandiya at 15:15. This time we parked at the “Israeli side”, in the small parking lot near the café. The place was filthy, there was rubbish everywhere. We fought our way through the heaps of rubbish in the direction of the monster – the bridge. Only a distorted mind could place a bridge on the site where it was built. We climbed up the monster and stood to watch the view and to explain to our guests where we were situated and what we were seeing. Below, at the vehicle passage, there was a small uproar. There were a few security persons standing around a car that had stopped. A man who needed crutches emerged from the car. As we were standing on the bridge, we were not able to find out what the matter was. However, we were quickly discerned by the security persons and they immediately were on their way up towards us. It seems that the actions of the most enlightened occupation in the world, are not as enlightened as all that, otherwise why this fear? We decided to give up and continued towards the yearned-for paradise – the Qalandiya checkpoint! We sat down of the stairs, below the signpost welcoming the people arriving at the Qalandiya passage – which we had seen tens of times, and which evokes each time a sad smile. Whoever arrives here needs more that a salute by the occupation regime. There was very little traffic. The taxis stood waiting for the passengers – who were not there. While we were chatting, the General Security Service (Shabac) and Police preventees arrived. The guests had an opportunity to hear from the source itself how life is under the permits regime. A stranger would not be able to understand this!
We quickly passed through the checkpoint. At the exit we waited for one of the guests who tarried as he had to thread his belt back into his trousers. One of the security people arrived to find out what the matter was. We showed him our badge and his face wore a sour expression. The thoughts that must have gone in his mind were easy to guess, even without words.
We returned to the monsterbridge and from there to the piles of garbage, the car and home. Another day in Qalandiya!
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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