Qalandiya, Mon 6.12.10, Afternoon
15:30, Qalandiya: Only two internal passageways were operating when we reached Qalandiya CP and there was no change during our shift. In spite of that, lines remained fairly short and there were no lines at all in the northern shed, perhaps because fewer people were about due to the cold and intermittent drizzle. The (female) soldier sitting in the post near the CP entrance did not once lock the carousel/turnstile all afternoon.
Unfortunately, even when the CP appears to be functioning, it is a sad and repulsive place, with garbage strewn all over and an extremely strong stink of urine.
When we arrived, three young men were standing in Passageway 5, the entrance to the DCO offices. All they wanted was to go to the Post Office (to pay for an auto license, etc.), but because the passageway remained locked while they waited, they missed the boat – the Post Office closes at 3:30 PM.
Suddenly a young man appeared, dressed in summer clothes and leaning on a cane. He also stood before the gate in Passageway 5 inorder to request a permit to return home to Gazaafter undergoing abdominal surgery. (He looked really terrible and very weak – one hand clutching the cane and the other holding his stomach to relieve the pain.) We phoned headquarters in an attempt to be helpful and were put through immediately to Hassan, the DCO representative, who quickly had the gate opened. Ten minutes later the patient reappeared, permit in hand.
At 16:50 we saw a young woman in Passageway 4 being "harassed" by the magnetometer. She had already taken off her coat and shoes (in the late-afternoon cold of Jerusalem), and even though she was barefoot, the machine continued to complain about her. Finally, she took a barette out of her hair, allowing it to cascade around her, and that seemed to solve the problem. These machines are definitely misogynists.
We left Qalandiya at 5 PM and returned to Jerusalem via Lil/Jabba and Hizmeh CPs.
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 FleishmanMay-11-2026Qalandiya. Ambulances wait in front of a closed checkpoint
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