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Qalandiya, Thu 26.3.09, Morning
Observers: Mili M. Tamar A. (reporting); Guests: 3 German students; Natanya translating
6.30 The lines of people reached the end of the waiting room or rather shed. We were told that earlier the lines had reached the parking lot. One of the turnstiles was not working and two others opened every few minutes and those waiting pushed one another so that as many as possible should go through before the turnstile closed again. Those who passed through again had to join the long line at the checking posts.
Some young men, not clear whether students are workers went backwards and forwards from the regular line to the humanitarian line, laughed at us and annoyed everyone on purpose as they tried to get in to the line at the entrance to the cages.
7.45 The line began to get shorter.
Before the humanitarian line were some old people, women and pupils and each time the gate opened the soldier had difficulty closing it because of the pressure of those wanting to pass. At the back stood a mother with her baby who had a pipe connected to his nose. She held him in her arms. When we called the attention of the soldiers to this they let her pass in front of those who were waiting. At the same time a father with a baby wrapped in a big coat managed to get through. The two babies were held high about their parents' heads so as not to be squashed.
Some young men, not clear whether students are workers went backwards and forwards from the regular line to the humanitarian line, laughed at us and annoyed everyone on purpose as they tried to get in to the line at the entrance to the cages.
7.45 The line began to get shorter.
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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