Qalandiya - "Nothing's useful here" said one man in line, and advised us to go home and go to sleep
Routine of Occupation
All five security-check stations were open when we arrived at 5:30 a.m. It was less cold than we had anticipated (another element of checkpoint life that you can’t forecast from one morning to the next), and the lines reached the curb of the new internal road outside. But the first time (since our arrival) that the soldier responsible for the turnstiles opened them, he allowed a large number of people through, so that, for the most part, the lines remained inside the shed. The falafel maker was back in the shed, infusing the air with the sharp odor of frying oil. At least you have to give the man credit for persistence.
After the change of the guard at 6:00, the new soldier in charge of the turnstiles continued to allow large numbers of people through, so there was less of a danger of the lines collapsing (as, we were told, they had the previous morning). Nevertheless, a man standing in one of the lines stopped us, as we passed by him, to recommend that we go home and go back to sleep, since at any rate nothing anyone attempts does any good here. There was no point in trying to encourage him since he is here day after day after day, and essentially there is no remedy for his despair other than the end of the occupation.
The Humanitarian Gate was opened at 6:05 (“Applause!”) by a Civil Administration officer and security guard and operated smoothly until 7:00.
At that same hour, the “cages” (three bar-lined passages with a turnstile at the end) were already empty and the turnstile of the left cage remained open to all newcomers. We too passed through it and exited the checkpoint, after the security check, within 20 minutes.
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-26-2026Qalandiya. Things you see on the way
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