Qalandiya, Mon 21.10.13, Afternoon
4:00 PM – There were very few people in the CP when we arrived. About 5 people were standing and waiting in each of the two active passageways. About 6 people were waiting in the shed outside the DCO offices. The number of people waiting declined over time so we assumed they were being taken care of. The graffiti scribbled on the window of the aquarium in Passageway 1 is still there:
I ♥ (Jewish Star)
ISRAEL
FOREVER
Out in the northern square (Palestinian side of the CP), looking across to the passageway for those arriving by bus on the western side of the CP, we saw a long line of 30 waiting to pass through to Jerusalem.
4:45 PM – Two ambulances are standing in the bus parking lot near the southern square. A Palestinian lady on a stretcher is carried from one to the other and the ambulance leaves for Jerusalem. Another ambulance from Jerusalem arrives. From a distance we can hear the siren of a Palestinian ambulance approaching from Ramallah. A well-dressed man is standing in the northern parking lot, following the ambulance’s progress through the iron fence while talking with the driver on his phone. He told us that his little boy, aged two, had a problem in his chest and was on his way to Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem with his mother. The ambulance passed through the CP very quickly and the boy and his mother were soon on their way to the hospital.
Back in the CP we noticed that the two soldiers behind the window in Passageway 4 had turned off the lights and were sitting in total darkness, leading “potential clients” to think that the passageway was not working so that no one got on line. We told the crowd of people in the other active passageway that No. 4 was working, which hopefully shortened their waiting time.
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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