Qalandiya, Mon 2.11.09, Morning
Qalandiya
6:15 we arrive at Qalandiya, park in the Palestinian parking lot and already hear the noise of a big crowd inside the terminal. As we enter we see , again after a very long time, young boys trying to climb over peoples heads to jump the line. A lot of pushing, shouting and long line entering through two channels. We check to see what happend , all the booth are open and the time it takes is no different. The humaniterian line works every 10 minues, Tomer, the DCO officer is there and trys to help. When we ask him for the reason of the commotion, he explains that the CP only opened at 5 and not at 3 am and this created the back log of two hours. After about half an hour order was restored, the Shabab had gone in and the rest of the men prefered a quiet and peaceful passage. All the pupils and women with or without children went in through the Humaniterian gate and by 7:45 all had gone in.
It seems that unless the CP opens at 3 am the place is much too small for the thousends of people who go through daily, a fact we have known for a long time and seen so vividly in Neta's film.
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-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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