Qalandiya, Sun 22.1.12, Morning
Chana S. translating
5.30 The queue reaches the parking lot. Only 3 sleeves open and the line hardly moves.
6.00 We phoned the DCO and were told that an officer would come in 2 minutes. He indeed arrived but told us that he wasn’t responsible for the soldiers so he would call their commander to hurry them. When we once again called the DCO and asked for that commander we were told it was impossible to talk to him. Once again they explained politely that the soldier of the DCO was under the command of an officer (who apparently was new to the area), who himself was not responsible for the soldiers. When we asked what was the logic of the responsible person’s not being at the site, we were asked (by a border policewoman) not to disturb their work.
6.15 All the sleeves were opened but the 5th sleeve, intended for people passing through the humanitarian gate, was fairly empty. The pofficer to whom we suggested that workers be directed also to this sleeve, explained that at present they were trying to work out how to make the passage more efficient (hallelujah).
A pleasant woman officer of the Border Police that they are trying to improve the passages and widen(?) them. If they are indeed planning to widen them it seems to us that the first thing they should do is widen those narrow corridors before the carousels. Expanding them would greatly improve the feeling of workers who complain that they feel like animals in a cage.
6.30 The lines rapidly get shorter. We also got the impression that the army and the border police discussed the situation and checked changes in procedure.
7.10 The line was short as we left.
As this report was being written it was reported in the news that a Palestinian attacked soldiers with an axe at Qalandiya checkpoint (10.15).
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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