Qalandiya, Mon 12.9.11, Afternoon
Translator: Charles K.
We returned to the Qalandiya checkpoint after not having been here for almost the whole summer. The situation hasn’t improved. The place is neglected, dirty and smelly – very repulsive. The Palestinians forced to come here are long-suffering; they joke about the situation rather than complaining, waiting submissively for the soldiers to do their job and be good enough to allow them to cross. The soldiers, for their part, work slowly, take breaks whenever they feel like it regardless of how many people are waiting on line in the heat and the discomfort of the checkpoint.
16:30: When we arrived at Qalandiya there were two inner lanes open and a line of more than 50 people in the northern shed.
16:50 We joined the line in the shed, waited 20 minutes for the revolving gate to open and managed to get in and reach the inner lanes. At 17:10 they opened a third lane. The soldiers at Lane 4 (where we stood) took a break, and didn’t let anyone in for inspection for a long time. We finally gave up. Netanya called the humanitarian office and I called the crossings authority to report that nothing was moving. And then something began moving and we got through ten minutes later. We waited for 50 minutes on lines to go through the checkpoint! Just the thought that people must go through this obstacle course twice a day, a few times a week, makes one sick!
When we exited on the south side we walked over to see what was happening at the crossing for people arriving by bus. People told us the line was short and moved quickly.
We returned to the northern shed and saw that the revolving gate was open and the lines had disappeared, and also from the inner lanes.
We left Qalandiya for Jerusalem at 17:30.
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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