Qalandiya, Thu 1.7.10, Afternoon
Ramot road, Qalandiya 14.30 – 17.00
Some checkpoints have actually been removed!
We drove along the Ramot road and noticed that the Ramot checkpoint, we have known for years, is deserted. Indeed there is no more need for it since the crooked way to Bir naballa does not serve anyone ever since the sunken road had bee built, and now Beit Iksa has also been cut off. The road to the village is blocked by some white plastic blocks and further on a locked gate had been set up across the road. It is strange since only a few months ago it was announced that Beit Iksa is Israeli territory.
We drove on and on glancing towards the Givaat Zeev CP we noticed that there were no people crossing in any direction.
Also the CP at the left turn towards the Atarot industrial does not exist any more and the traffic goes along undisturbed.
Qalandia, on the other hand carries on as usual. When we entered the bleak waiting hall we noticed that only one 'sleeve' was functioning and a long line had formed in front of it. After a while a second sleeve was opened. We encountered a friendly and smiling tea vendor who wanted to invite us to have some of his goods and also enquired us about our colleagues who usually come to this checkpoint. Two or three people complained about the hardships they encounter in the mornings. We entered the line o9f those trying to get into Jerusalem and asked our selves how they endure the daily long waits in the recent heavy heat. We started a conversation with a young man, about thirty years old who lives in Katana and whose wife (bearing an Israeli ID) and children live in Beit Hanina. Only once in three months is he allowed to stay with his family for a week. She could, of course, move to Katana but would lose all her rights including her social security. He also complained about the hardships he encounters in the mornings; He has to leave at 4 am in order to be on time and he some times has to stand for two hours in the entering queue. In order to get from Katana to Beit Hanina he has to go via Bidu, then drive on the sunken road to Bir Naballa and from there on the winding and long road to Qalandiya.
While we were Queuing we heard some loud voices from the other side of the turning door, it turned out that a woman bought some kitchen knives in Ramalla and they were detected in her bag. The queue was halted for about twenty minutes and the soldiers sent her back from where she came. We stood in line over forty minutes. On the way out we showed our IDs to the three Ethiopian girl soldiers who were grinning on the other side of the heavy protected glass windows.
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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