Qalandiya, Sun 13.12.09, Afternoon
Rony Hamerman and Tamar Fleishman
A ladder was leaning on the wall by Dahyat-El-Barid square and on it was a man fixing the alarm system above. BP soldier were keeping an eye on the man and the ladder.
The Checkpoint:
It seems that the construction work on the checkpoint is about to be completed: neon lights were on, the turnstiles on each side of the checkpoint had been place and metal fences were sparkling (especially on the representative side- the Israeli side). Apparently they will inaugurate the "new" checkpoint, that to the naïve observer might seem like a terminal. 
Will this construction substitute the current checkpoint or will they both operate together? What will be done with the old construction?
-Rony suggested that the new checkpoint will substitute for the old one. And I raised the question: if they close the old checkpoint will the mountain that had stood there since the beginning of time, up until conqueror's machines arrive, be returned?
At the northern square, on the Palestinian side of the checkpoint, was much commotion: tens of vehicles were lined up rather close together, the drivers drove on the square in hope that it might shorten their way, everyone was honking their horns and trying to move forward on each centimeter before them, it was the rush hour and everyone was returning home after a day of work.
Due to a (planed in advance) meeting with a close friend from Gaza, who we hadn't been able to see for over a year, we remained at the waiting shed the whole time.
There was a large crowd inside and outside the checkpoint, the man size cadges were full and the lines were long and continued outside of the cadges.
The chill drove some of the peddlers away from the parking lot into the she
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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