Qalandiya, Mon 11.6.12, Morning
Translator: Charles K.
06:00 As soon as we reach the parking lot we can already hear the familiar noise, and see the long lines stretching out of the waiting room.
The familiar chaos, hundreds of people crowding into the cages, the pushing, shouting, cries of frustration, and nothing moves. The shift changes; maybe now they’ll also open the humanitarian gate, because there’s certainly a great need for it today.
We try to find out why the lines barely move but nobody is willing to talk to us except the laborers trying not to lose a work day. Most begin working at 7 AM; today they won’t arrive on time. Those who start at 6 AM are already late, or have already lost a day of work.
Finally the police officer in the inner courtyard is free to speak to us; he says that today many more people happened to arrive. We say the staff is working slowly, they don’t open everything on time and aren’t paying attention to what’s happening in the waiting room.
An argument begins about who’s been waiting since 3 or 4 AM, who’s lying or being inaccurate about when people arrive. What’s important is to be there and care about helping people get through, be sensitive to those trying to earn an honest living.
We spoke to very many laborers today; they deserve a minimal level of service, to have things made easier for them. If there’s a will.
But, much too often, there isn’t!!!!
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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