Qalandiya, Sun 7.11.10, Afternoon
Translation: Ruth Fleishman
In front of each other at the entrance to the checkpoint were two BP armed police men and tens of people who had been blocked. The checkpoint was closed. Some people we knew came up to us at the parking lot and asked that we find out what had been going on. No one would talk with them. They only scream at them: "Lawara… Ruh' Lawara…". We were spoken to in an appropriate manner: they opened with "Mame", then they answered all of our questions and told us of an unidentified object which had been found at the pedestrian lane.
The checkpoint itself was empty and wondering about between the inner lane was a
robot. After twenty minutes all the passage lanes were open and the crowd of people stormed towards them. The soldiers at the posts started inspecting those in front of them, in the usual rhythm which is only admissible for someone who has time. Time kept moving on and the lines grew long. It was only after an hour that the pressure had faded.
On the way leading to the vehicle checkpoint, where all those who had been found to be Kosher and managed to make it to the other side, hurry to disappear from the maze of grates while buckling their belts back, putting their keys in their pockets again and the documents that indicate their existence in their wallets, I pointed at a door informing the person next to me that: "once there was a post office here", and "I", he answered, "was once brought here. The captain sat here". And added: "perhaps he still sits here…"
A soldier and a security man were checking a van that had been sent a side at the checkpoint. They inspected inside it, checked the papers and stretched every crack. Inside and outside and then again… once they hadn't found what they were looking for they released the driver, who instead of a greeting of farewell was told: "Now, it's like you passed a driver's test…".
Abu-Abdalla's stand which is near the checkpoint seemed more neglected and dark then ever.
"A couple of days ago they came and took my things", the man said with acceptance.
"Who are they?- the army?- the police?"
"No", said Abu Abdalla", "people from Beit El. They came with a van and cart and took it".
The man doesn't have a peddler's permit and the source of income which provides for the many mouths in his family is in violation with the laws of occupation which this time was represented by the Civil Administration. Abu Abdalla who up to ten years ago was a guard at Petah- Tikva, had become a security risk, he isn't permitted to enter Israel and he and his older children are forced to improvise an alternative source of income.
This wasn't the first time that Abu Abdalla's is robbed and it certainly wasn't the last time.
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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