Qalandiya, Sun 3.1.10, Morning
Natanya translating.
5.15 It is impossible to say that the shift at Qalandiya was a happy one, but it is possible to say that it is the best shift there that I have had in many years. What was so good about it was that at 6.45 we could go home. The shed was empty and in the turnstile stood 2-3 people and the passage to the checking rooms and from there to the exit was handled swiftly.
At 6.00? I phoned the DCo to ask that they open a fourth sleeve and within 4 minutes one was opened. A reason to rejoice, not so?
From 5.00 to 7.00 1602 people passed through the checkpoint . It is true that this is not different from last week when 2300 people passed through from 5.00 to 8.00 but there was a difference in the orderliness and the swiftness with which the sleeves opened and the amount of people who entered and emptied the line of those waiting at the first checkpoint. The people were not shunted from sleeve to sleeve , the young people were not pushing and it is definite that the checking inside went much faster than usual. It is obvious that this procedure helps both those passing through and those doing the checking. The armed civilian security guard came up to me politely and with a smile asked how I was doing. Those opening the humanitarian gate arrived in time and then went back because by 6.40 there was no more pressure on the other turnstiles.
In my opinion the reason for this change is not by chance but because of the visit of the lieutenant-colonel Urie M. last week at the checkpoint during our shift. Netta E. and he spoke for a long time and she pointed out to him the psychological advantage of those who were standing in the line and were sent through quickly to the inside sleeves even though they stood there for a long time once more and the difference in having them stand for a long time in the shed and were then let in in a trickle. The fact that the checking was so slow was evidently apparent to him.
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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