Qalandiya - filthy and noisy
Arriving at 8:50, we found the place filthy and noisy. The external line reached half-way down to the edge of the shack. The inner booths were open. Lots of people crowded up, pushing one another, trying to reach the head of the line. The disorder caused brawls and shouting.
A man and a woman, volunteers of the EAPPI organization, had arrived before us. The man told us that he had twice phoned the Matak to open the humanitarian gate – to no avail. There were days during the week that were clear of lines despite even larger crowds wanting to cross. We unsuccessfully tried to communicate with the girl in the booth. Near the gate we noticed an elderly man limping, hardly able to stand. Although we called the Matak to open the humanitarian gate for him, the gate was not opened. We later noticed that he joined the regular line.
At 9:10 matters started to move foreward and some of the people passed through. The line had reached the edge of the shack. There were delays at the inner lines as well. Some of those waiting had brought folding chairs along. The girl soldier at the booth was busy with a cell call and did not even once leave her stand.
At 9:20 a large crowd flowed in. Still noise, pushing and brawls between the people on line. Some people left the line and took a cab. Gradually, by 9:50 the line was a quarter of what it had been. Most of the people finally got through and merely 20 remained outside waiting.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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