Qalandiya, Mon 2.7.12, Afternoon
Yesterday was another "Yom Fadi" ("empty" day) at the checkpoint. Two passageways operated most of the time and the wait was short. The lines were very short.
A young man got in line for the DCO offices after 4 PM when they no longer were answering telephones. He told us that his wife who holds a Palestinian I.D. card was only given a permit to visit Israel for 3 days a month and so was effectively incarcerated in their apartment in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shu'afat. We gave him the phone number of Hannah who deals with these problems (which are generally insoluble because Israel does not allow family unification between Israeli and Palestinian Arabs).
In the meanwhile, a very old woman (probably our age) arrived at the CP. Wobbling on her legs in the heavy heat, she got in line in one of the passageways. She told those standing around her that she had already lost her I.D. papers twice and had no I.D. card. I think we've seen her before at the CP and been told by the DCO representative that she only wanted to get to Jerusalem to do some begging (relieving all of us of any responsibility for her fate). Natanya ran to bring her a bottle of cold water but afterwards we lost sight of her and don't know where she went and what happened.
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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