Qalandiya, The woman soldier manning the line was extremely helpful
The end of Laylat al-Qader
When we arrived at the checkpoint at 5:30 a.m. we were surprised to see lines (admittedly relatively short ones) inside it, for the last time we came to Qalandia at the end of Laylat al-Qader (a few years ago) all the foot traffic was in the opposite direction, toward the neighborhoods north of the checkpoint and from there into the northern West Bank, while the checkpoint itself was empty. Neither did we encounter, while walking from the southern parking lot to the checkpoint, the flood of people returning home after the night on the Haram a-Sharif (Temple Mount). That started about half an hour later.
Inside the checkpoint, all five checking stations were open but the progress into them was slow and began moving at a reasonable rate only after 6:00. At 6:00, with the help of one of our Palestinian acquaintances, we contacted the young cancer patient whom we were slated to drive to Hadassah Hospital and learned that he would arrive at Qalandia within 20 minutes. We immediately called the DCO hotline to try to arrange that a Civil Administration soldier or officer would be present in another 20 minutes to open the Humanitarian Gate for him. The woman soldier manning the line was extremely helpful, and a DCO officer and security guard arrived minutes after the patient entered the checkpoint. They opened the gate for him and the others who had gathered before it; the line waiting to enter the checking station we chose moved quite quickly, and we were on our way in less than 10 minutes, at 6:30.
As to next week, Id el-Fitr starts this Friday, for three days, and people return to work on Monday, June 18.
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-8-2025Qalandiya: Emptiness in public space
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