Qalandiya - long lines, anger, nervousness and frustration
Simply Harrowing
It was difficult to discern how many checking stations were open when we arrived at 5:30 (as well as afterward) because the progress forward was so v e r y s l o w that it seemed that neither number 4 nor number 5 were open at all ( it turned out that 5 was open and 4 opened around 6:00). Apparently this was also the situation well before we arrived, because the lines reached the end of the narrow corridor leading into the shed. And as a result of the frustration of those waiting in them, the lines collapsed at 5:35 !! and the mob scene of pushing, climbing, quarreling ,shouting, whistling, etc. at the entrances to the cages continued for two hours before the lines re-formed at about 7:30.
We (my partner and I) have been observing at the Qalandiya checkpoint for 9 years, and this morning impressed us as the height (or one of the heights) of failed management of the checkpoint that we have witnessed in almost a decade. (Perhaps it was because a new group of soldier were manning the checking stations, although various people reported to us that the previous morning had been quite reasonable.)
It is difficult to describe the depth of the anger that was expressed all around us (and toward us, as well, as we, too, stood there helpless to affect the situation). The name “Hitler,” among others, was having a field day in the shed.
It should be said forthrightly: in our view, the failed management of the checkpoints should be regarded as a strategic failure, because it embitters the Palestinians who must pass through them day after day to the point where it encourages feelings of vengeance against the soldiers (and Israelis in general) and causes enormous harm to any hope of a common future with the Palestinians, either as neighbors over a border or as citizens of a shared state. What we experienced this morning was simply harrowing.
At the same time, the Humanitarian Gate was mercifully opened at 5:55 (by a security guard, later joined by a DCO soldier) and operated smoothly throughout the shift.
We also managed to distribute a number of Kav La’Oved fliers.
At 7:35, after the lines re-formed (more or less), we joined the least problematic one about 2 meters from the entrance to the shed. From there it took us an hour and 10 minutes to reach and complete the security check. This, to the best of our recollection, is a record in our 9 years of standing on line to traverse the Qalandiya checkpoint at the end of a morning shift.
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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