Qalandiya, Mon 5.7.10, Afternoon
15:40, Givat Ze'ev CP: At this hour of the afternoon, there was almost no pedestrian traffic at the CP, only a few laborers returning from their day's work one by one or in small groups. We wanted to show our guest the insides of the CP but the soldiers and civilian security personnel would not let us in. Because the CP was empty, we decided not to fight for our rights but to go on to Qalandiya. On our way to the car we stopped to talk with several of the laborers, as well as a few women who work as maids in the Givat Ze'ev Settlement. All the people we spoke with told us there were less problems at the CP and that the waiting time in the mornings had shortened considerably (to an hour or less).
16:15, Qalandiya CP: Traffic was very light. The northern shed was occupied by only a few laborers waiting for a ride home after their day's work. No one was waiting in the "pens" corralling people to the turnstiles at the CP entrance. At the eastern-most pen, the one that has been broken for the past week, someone has removed the plastic ribbons that prevented people from entering, saving Palestinians the bother. Time and again people on their way to Jerusalem tried to enter the CP via the broken turnstile (which is the usual entrance at this time of day) only to have to wend their way out and try an alternative route.
Inside the CP three passageways were operating. Women who stood in line at Passageway 4 had no problem in passing. On reaching the Jerusalem side of the CP we saw that a huge traffic jam had developed in the southern square (once again due to problematical traffic arrangements at the northern CP entrance).
When we returned to the northern shed, we saw that the (female) soldier on duty there had "captured" one of the peddler children, those that peddle chewing gum, inside the CP. Apparently, the little boy had been going back and forth, in and out of the CP, angering or disturbing the soldier who decided to punish him by locking him in. The little boy kept his cool and waited patiently until in the end he was allowed to leave.
On our way back to Jerusalem we passed through Lil/Jabba and Hizmeh CPs. Traffic was flowing at both.
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-12-2026Qalandiya. Abdallah at his fruit stand
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