Qalandiya, Thu 3.9.09, Morning
Qalandia 6am
People had been waiting 1.5 hours to enter the inside corridor and were weary and frustrated, climbing over fences, pushing and shoving. The situation was volatile and we worried that it would deteriorate. We decided to call Duda A. but when he did not answer, we called the Humanitarian Office of the Army. A soldier subsequently came over to us, angry at us for disturbing Dudu as he had been up all nite and in any case, there was nothing to report, according to the soldier, since the cameras showed people getting through the inside area in around 17 minutes.
It must be noted, however, that the camera panned only the inside and not the long lines of people waiting to enter. We can verify the long lines and wait as we were present at the Checkpoint until 7:30am.
Many people came to speak to us about their difficulties getting through the Humanitarian Gate as being injured from the pushing and shoving but to their credit, the soldiers were helpful , if they were aware, in moving through the more serious cases. One man tried to speak to the Army Policeman who was unnecessarily rude to him.
Note the following:
1. The checkpoint is not large enough to handle the huge daily lines and with people queing up for a long time, the situation can be dangerous. Due to the closing of other checkpoints, this one is now not sufficient to handle the daily needs. In addition, 6:30 is very late to begin processing those waiting in long lines.
2. Older people have difficulty waiting in the Humanitarian line for such long periods. Minimally, benches should be provided for those who are either too sick or elderly to chance being pushed in line.
3. Access for school children through the Humanitarian line should be changed as they are holding up the lines and taking up space reserved for the sick and elderly.
4. By changing the age criteria for the Humanitarian line from over 60 rather than over 50, the numbers for the regular lines have increased creating even more unrest, chaos and confusion.
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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 FleishmanOct-27-2026Qalandiya. Closure – Climbing over the fence
-
