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Qalandiya, Mon 31.10.11, Morning
Observers: Judy O., Maya B. (reporting)
6:25 we are in the big hall and it is empty. Whoever comes in, even large groups of pupils go right in.
the first passage is closed, we ask Safa, the DCO officer and he shows us that it is broken. I stand next to it and show people where to enter, it goes fast.
The traffic outside is as usual very hectic and everyone is blowing his horn and pushing. I don't understand how there are not more accidents.
The garbage piles are as usual, especially outside. Nobody notices it any more, even we have gotten used to it and just don't want people to have to stand and wait. Bad enough they have to go though this twice a day. Safa is one of those officers who care and make sure things work, despite all the hardships. An old and sick woman come in, we call him and he immediately opens the Humanitarian gate for her, so we won't have to push through the iron bars.
At the blue card passage all is as usual. People get into the bus, out after a few meters out, wait and in again…….
We return through Jaba and Pisgat Zeev after passing Hizme.
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-16-2025Qalandiya: summer fruit
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