Qalandiya, Mon 5.12.11, Morning
5:40. We now go earlier. The situation is insoluble. There are not enough passages for the amount of people trying to get to work before 7 a.m. and to many students, women, old and sick to make it possible to go through fast enough for everyone to get to work on time.
And then there is the lack of care. Israel really does not care if these people can make it to a job on time, make enough money to feed their families, or live without the daily frustration and humiliation.
We arrive, there are not that many people, it seems, but the pushing, trying to jump the line, cursing and shouting is incredible.
Why can't we do it right ???
Because nobody gives a hoot. If these were Jews there would be such an uproar, the country would be in a state of revolution. But since we are dealing with Palestinians, it can go on day after day. They feel humiliated and many just give up and go home, to loose another working day.
We talk to some, just to express our empathy and get the same response: why can't you do it properly, with enough passages and checking stations to prevent the daily suffering ?
We have nothing to say except be ashamed.
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-27-2026Qalandiya. Closure – Climbing over the fence
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