Qalandiya, Tue 17.9.13, Afternoon
15:00 When we arrived, the shed (which had an overwhelming stench) was empty, apart from a trickle of people passing in both directions. We were beginning to think our shift was a waste of time when, a few minutes later, the soldier managing the carousels started barking instructions (in broken Arabic) at a woman making her way back from the DCO lane. She was shouting that the DCO was closed and that the woman should return at 9 a.m. the next day. As the public notice says that the office hours are from 13-16.00, we called – and were told that the office was in fact open. We accompanied the woman to the DCO lane (gate 5) where the woman soldier sitting way inside just called out in Arabic “closed!” without even bothering to come to the window. After we insisted , she admitted the woman but kept shouting at her about putting her bag etc. and giving no help about where to find the office.
A few minutes later the woman came out. She had been to the office but her request refused. She sat down in despair. At this point a local man came up and explained that she had come from Gaza to visit her son in hospital in Ramallah(?) and needed to go home for 24 hours to fetch money and clothes, and also had a sick child at home. With his help as interpreter, we phoned the army humanitarian office and gave them her ID number. They then said she should go to the DCO as her permit was ready for her. We once again accompanied her to the entrance. The DCO must have been informed because a polite male voice addressed us in Hebrew, instructing her to bring her bag. At this point another woman approached, wanting the DCO, and was told that it was closed. It was already 15:50, so almost official closing time, but she managed to get in.
Of course, we could not see what happened after they entered but, as neither had returned while we waited for the next half-hour, we assumed and hope that they were both successful.
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 FleishmanApr-16-2025Qalandiya: summer fruit
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