Qalandiya, Thu 1.12.11, Morning
Translator: Charles K.
When we reached the vehicle checkpoint for cars travelling north we saw a small commercial vehicle standing at the checkpoint, not moving. I flashed my lights, signaling it to move forward and allow me to advance.
Two bruisers from the checkpoint security staff emerged from the vehicle, intending to upbraid us or to do who knows what else to the Palestinian who dared flash his lights at them.
As soon as they saw the “Press” card on the car, and a woman sitting inside, they folded, returned to their car and cleared the lane.
Many cars and much honking at 05:45 at the vehicle checkpoint.
It’s a madhouse inside the checkpoint, people being pushed, pushing, jumping over one another, sneaking through the revolving gates over the pens even though the fenced corridors inside were relatively empty.
We called headquarters, which promised that someone from the DCO will arrive immediately to straighten things out.
06:15 Alex, from the DCO, arrives and opens the “humanitarian” gate.
He says he’s only responsible for the humanitarian gate, not for anything else such as controlling people outside the checkpoint or regulating their entry to the fenced corridors.
After a number of phone calls the revolving gates began turning energetically, and at 06:45 the checkpoint was empty.
On the way back – maybe I was dreaming – there was no sight of the Jaba checkpoint
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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