Qalandiya, Thu 13.5.10, Morning
Summary: The humanitarian gate remained closed.
- The line extended right out of the shed to the road. An ecumenical observer told us that until 5.30 it had been quiet, but at that stage there was a large influx.
At this stage the soldier in charge opened the carousels reasonably frequently but, as only 3 gates were functioning, there was a long wait.
We phoned to ask for more stations to be opened and phoned again, ten minutes later, when suddenly two more opened (whether as a delayed result of the first call or immediate action after the second).
One woman we chatted with explained how tired she was even before starting her day's work of cleaning homes in Jerusalem. She said she pays 1000 shekels a month to a ‘contractor' in order to obtain an entry permit, giving us a peep into the corruption that must prevail in the permit system.
- We waited for the humanitarian gate to open. After ten minutes we called – and during the following hour we, or the ecumenical observer, phoned five times. Yet, by the time we left at 7.30, no one had come to open the gate.
Meanwhile people (including a woman with her blind son, parents carrying babies), either in despair or ‘to hedge their bets' went to stand in one of the normal lines. As this is not the first time that we have seen women and pupils opting for the regular line, it would seem that many (students in particular) now have the experience of a normal line being faster than the ‘humanitarian' one.
7.30 When we left, the line was very short.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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