Qalandiya - Long queues and slow progress
Another slow, annoying morning – the new norm?
All five checking stations were open when we arrived at 5:30 a.m. and the lines were relatively short because the progress forward through the three bar-lined passages known as the “cages” was well calculated by the soldier responsible for opening the turnstiles. But as the morning proceeded, the situation deteriorated.
From what we could judge, this occurred for three reasons: a growing number of permits being issued (which is a welcome development); a growing number of people arriving at a relatively late hour during the rush-hour period; and the fact that the Humanitarian Gate did not open until 6:25 and the crowd that had gathered by it by then was allowed to pass through it all at once. This created a kind of “tsunami” effect, rather than the steady, slower flow that would not have blocked the entrances to the checking stations — and thus delay the flow through the cages, as well — had the Humanitarian Gate opened earlier (for people begin to gather by it before 6:00).
Once the gate was opened, it was operated smoothly until the end of our shift. But the delay in opening it created damage that could not be repaired thereafter.
There was tension in the air during the morning. A few times we even feared that the line discipline would break, but somehow it held.
At 7:25 we joined the shortest of the three lines moving through the “cages,” and it took us (just like last week) 40 minutes to reach the checking station and exit the checkpoint. Imagine people having to spend this amount of time to transit the checkpoint every morning on their way to work, school, etc.
What’s more, the problem persists of elderly people knowing that they can pass through the checkpoint without a permit but not knowing that they cannot do so before 8:00 a.m. Consequently, every morning there is a group of elderly men and women sitting for an hour or more in the cold waiting until they will be allowed through the Humanitarian Gate at 8:00. There must be a way to inform them of the 8 o’clock rule before they arrive at the checkpoint!
Last week two of our colleagues wrote they were told that the checkpoint’s new building would open on 15.12. A conversation we had with a policeman about a month ago led us to believe that it would take longer to consecrate the new building. But let us hope that by the end of this year we will be able to report at least on a swifter and easier passage through the checkpoint, as those responsible for it are predicting.
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 FleishmanJun-25-2025Qalandia: West Bank man injured in both legs
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