Qalandiya, Sun 13.5.12, Morning
Translaltion: Judith Green
We arrived at the checkpoint at 5:30 AM.
1. No lines.
2. The one turnstile in operation didn't close, so people simply streamed through.
3. In the inner courtyard, 2 lanes were open, every minute the turnstile opened and 3-5 people went through.
4. The workers passed by with a smile and morning greeting and thanks to the crossing point.
5. At 6:00, half an hour earlier than usual, the officers arrived and opened two additional turnstiles at the entrance and 2 additional lanes in the inner courtyard.
6. Rivka and I thought the days of the Messiah had arrived but, on second thought, we realized this was only relative happiness. Certainly it should be like this every morning.
7. We should mention that several Sundays have seen improvement like this at the checkpoint, though today was particularly good.
8. Despite these good marks, it is a pity that cleanliness is not observed here. Today, when the place was not very crowded, the piles of garbage were especially conspicuous, thrown all over the space. One might of thought it was a garbage collection area and not a exit for workers.
9. We hope that a solution will be found for this (#8) and that the situation today mirrors a real change, and not an incidental one.
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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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