Qalandiya, first work day after a week's closure
Because this morning was the first work day for Palestinians living in the West Bank after a week’s closure (due to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot), we were psyched up for a morning filled with crowds, lot’s of tension and even breakdowns in everything from equipment to line discipline. Fortunately, these expectations were far from realized. And it was all to the credit of a wise soldier (the one responsible for opening the turnstiles at the end of each of three narrow, bar-lined passages known as the “cages”) who let all (or almost all) the people standing on line pass through the turnstiles each time he unlocked them. It’s true, this created long lines at the next stage of the passage — lines that spilled out of the “sleeves” (vestibule-like passages) leading into the five checking stations themselves. But the soldier understood (or was briefed earlier) that at play in Qalandiya is also a psychological barrier, namely, the turnstile blocking the passage through each of the three cages. Once that physical barrier is crossed, the tension, internal and external, drops sharply.
The fact is: we do not see pushing, arguing, shouting, and other expressions of frustration and anger on the lines – however long – waiting to enter the checking stations. (Wish we could say the same for those in the earlier stage of passage, through the cages.) Even the fact that two of the five checking stations closed for a longer or shorter period between 5:30 and 6:30 did not change this atmosphere. It’s true that the soldier who relieved the night-shift soldier at 6:00 did not follow his example and allowed fewer people through each time he opened the turnstiles. Nevertheless, because long lines had not built up before 6:00, the queues remained relatively short afterward, as well. And this became all the more so after the Humanitarian Gate was opened at 6:20, all the people who had gathered by it were allowed through in one fell swoop, and each newcomer was likewise allowed through as soon as he or she had produced a valid permit until the gate was closed just after 7:00.
All this enabled us to join the shortest of the three lines moving through the cages at 7:00, and we exited the security check in less than 15 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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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