Qalandiya, Tue 11.10.11, Morning
Translator: Charles K.
“What’s going on, vacation?…” (no line at the checkpoint…)
5:00 “No congestion, no humanitarian gate.”
No line at all. Whoever shows up goes immediately through the revolving gate on the left. Three inspection lanes inside are open. About 80 people wait on the lines. Every minute a van, taxi or car arrives and lets out 10-20 men who hurry right in for inspection.
5:30 No line in the shed yet. About 120 people waiting in the inspection lanes. In the past half hour, 236 people entered for inspection.
Two more inspection lanes opened inside. Still no congestion. Many people told us that today is excellent, but yesterday was terrible. A guy running up who found no line at the checkpoint raised his hand questioningly and asked, “What’s going on, vacation?…”
6:00 Now there are lines at the two open revolving gates. 105 people are waiting, and about 20 more at the humanitarian gate. In the last half hour, 246 people entered for inspection.
Two officers arrive at the humanitarian gate, but don’t open it. We wonder whether the key got lost, or whether they’re waiting for the guards. Finally they send everyone over to the regular line, except a young couple with a tiny baby who are allowed to go through the humanitarian gate.
Ina insists on people’s right to use the humanitarian crossing:
“All the women standing over there have the right to cross here…”, she explained to the officer.
“If there’s no congestion, there’s no humanitarian crossing,” said the officer. The gate remained locked.
6:30 The line lengthens. In the last half hour, 330 people entered for inspection.
There are now many more women and children. A father, with three young daughters, stands firmly in the humanitarian lane, but quickly gives up and moves to the regular line.
7:00 – The line shortens. In the last half hour, 450 people entered for inspection. Forty people are waiting outside, about 100 on the inspection lines. The two ecumenical activists get on the end of the line at 7:10 and exit to the Israeli side at 7:45.
A total of 35 minutes, on a day without any congestion at all.
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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