Qalandiya, Sun 7.2.10, Morning
Translation: Bracha B.A.
05:15
Qalandiya
People are moving through in three lanes. Four sleeves are open and apparently people are working in the inspection rooms as well. The line is sometimes shorter and sometimes longer but keeps moving.
Everything appears to be "all right" until 06:30 when the humanitarian lane opens. What else can be said about this embarrassment? Neither the officer from the Liaison and Coordination Administration nor the policeman have any idea of what the word means except for what the army has determined. People have to wait until the policeman brings the key. A woman holding a heavy child with tubes in his nose who comes every Sunday has to wait in front of the gate which is empty until the time comes to open it for her. Another woman arrives holding a baby and has to wait as well. The officer from the Liaison and Coordination Administration argues with us about the waiting time. "Seven minutes is not so long to wait." What about last week when she had to wait for an hour because no one objected to the warped definition of "humanitarian?" The impersonal policeman inside the glass booth talks and talks with those inside, laughing and having a good time.
The Ecumenical man says that they let out their anger on us (Machsom Watch) at those who have to wait outside in the cold until they open the gate for them.
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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