Qalandiya, Mon 12.7.10, Afternoon
16:20, Qalandiya CP: We were warned in advance that there would problems parking at the CP. The traffic jam on the road from Jerusalem started way back in Beit Hanina, at the gas station opposite the Wall. When we reached the southern square, we saw that BP policemen were directing all the traffic into A-Ram via the gate in the Wall. We followed the rest and tried to reach Qalandiya from behind, but the connecting road was completely impassable. Cars travelling to Ramallah made no progress against the flow of cars coming to A-Ram and Lil/Jabba CP. After waiting in bumper-to-bumper traffic for almost half an hour, we made a u-turn and returned to the gate in the Wall. We parked the car and passed through the gate on foot (after a long conversation with the BP contingent which, at first, refused to let us through). We passed through the CP to the northern shed where there were only a few laborers waiting for a ride home after their day's work. There was almost no one on line in the internal passageways and there seemed to be no problem in getting to Jerusalem.
From the northern parking lot we could see work in progress to extend the high Wall separating the parking lot from the refugee camp opposite in time for Ramadan (August 10). Traffic on the road along the Wall had been stopped to allow the workers to do the job, which is supposed to be completed in two days.
There was not much to do at the CP and we left after a short time. On our way back to Jerusalem we passed through Lil/Jabba and Hizmeh CPs. Traffic was flowing at both.
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-16-2026Qalandiya CP: shortcut
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