Qalandiya, Sun 1.1.12, Morning
5:30: The queues approaching the turnstiles nearly reached the parking lot. Crowded lines, silent people. Only three checking posts were functioning and 
merely 13 persons were allowed through at any one time and often, even less . At first, one of the turnstiles was not operating and only following our remark was it repaired. Within the 'aquarium' cage there were two soldiers, two private-company security personnel and one civilian-clad person. We unsuccessfully attempted to find out who he was but then one of the soldiers explained that he was the police officer in charge of the barrier. His general appearance, his body-language, his shouting and screaming, all conveyed a violent attitude. He mocked people who were merely inquiring, expressed himself rudely and in high tones to all and was restlessly on the move. Running about from here to there, taking documents from people and checking them, then returning them with a remark that next time he wouldn't return them. All of this he carried out senselessly but was consistently occupied
.
6:15: The queues were shorter but many younger people were there, pushing, shouting and climbing the separating rails. Their efforts to shorten their waiting time were to no avail as the civilian-clad commander of the CP stopped them, checked their 
documents and sent them back to the end of the line.
There was no pressure at the Humanitarian checking post. A soldier sat there and checked the permits' opening the gate whenever necessary (too slow and too rare). The commander's loud shouting filled the space.
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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
-