Qalandiya - It is difficult to cross the turnstiles with a stroller
14.00. Liora and I (Ronit) arrive to sign up potential appeals. The process is quick, and afterwards we enter the checkpoint so as to pass. In front of us is a woman with many children, mostly older girls, and a baby in a stroller. They reach the first turnstile. No one notices them or comes out to open the side door. The woman takes out the baby, stands him on his feet and, with help of one of the big sisters, manages to get him through the turnstile. Now she folds the stroller and struggles with it until she succeeds in passing. And now she discovers that she is faced with more turnstiles…
They finally passed, and now it was our turn. We passed and behind us were two young girls, apparently students. When we were already at the second turnstile we were called by loudspeaker to return. The soldiers do not speak Arabic and asked us to help with the young Palestinians. It turned out that the checker apparently noticed something in one of the bags. All of us went back and placed our bags again in the machine and passed screening. Now the soldier checking focused on on e of the young women. She was asked to open her bag, to take out everything and to screen it again, till finally the checker was satisfied and allowed her to pass.
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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