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Qalandiya, Mon 28.1.13, Afternoon
Observers: Natanya G., Pamela and Phyllis W. (reporting)
15:45 When we reached Qalandiya today we saw that the huge gate in the Wall, between Qalandiya and the city of A-Ram, was wide open and most of the vehicles ahead of us took the opportunity to drive right through. We continued straight to the CP parking lot. It was a bitterly cold day with a biting wind that pummeled us with particles of sand and dirt. There were very few people at the CP and lines were short. Two passageways were active (3 and 4) and when someone arrived at the DCO line, the carousel was opened without delay. The soldiers on duty in the DCO passageway, who noticed us observing in the background, expressed their reservations about MW over the intercom.
At 16:10 we went through the CP to the Jerusalem side where we found that vehicle traffic through the CP had been stopped. The policeman at the barrier told us that there had been an incident on the Palestinian side of the CP, but within minutes of our arrival he removed the barrier and allowed vehicles to travel north. (None of the Palestinians whom we asked about the incident knew anything at all.)
We stayed at the CP until 16:45 when we decided that all the flying dirt was doing no good to Natanya who had a cataract operation not long ago. Not much was happening anyway.
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 FleishmanOct-11-2026Qalandiya. Female Beggar
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