Qalandiya, Sun 16.6.13, Morning
We arrived at 5am and it seemed a morning when the queue was moving at a satisfactory speed, people didn't look particularly tired and exhausted . It seemed that the 2500 people this morning will get through after less than half an hour wait.
But then we noticed a man with a little girl and we approached them. The 5 year old has a rare blood disease and thus they go to Hadassah Ein Karem for treatment every 3 weeks. They are very happy with the treatment but every time it takes such a long time from their village near Jenin. They have to get up around 4am to get to the hospital on time.I asked the father whether he knows of the volunteer service which takes patients from checkpoints to different hospitals. He never heard of them. I gave him the phone nmber of the Jerusalem coordinator who speaks Arabic and we hope that from now on the ordeal of transportation will be diminished.
We were approached by a man whose wife has not seen her mother in Gaza for over 5 years. He tried to get a permit but did not succeed. We promised to try to help. Even this man"s employer helped us and we got all the necessary data and passed them further. Next day we heard the verdict: no way will she get a permit to visit. There is something about her family that prevents permits. The husband works in Israel every day but can't visit family in Gaza.
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 FleishmanJun-25-2025Qalandia: West Bank man injured in both legs
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