Qalandiya, Tue 23.7.13, Morning
"Things work better when you're here"
For the first time in a while at midweek, lines extending almost to the parking lot greeted us when we arrived at 5:45 a.m.
Before we even reached the shed, individuals approached us to say how bad the past two days had been. Again and again, disparate people who came over to talk to us, or beckoned us to come talk to them as they stood in line, complained that it had taken them about an hour and a half to traverse the checkpoint on the previous two mornings. Many asked why MachsomWatch was present only today and expressed the belief (would that it were so) that things work better when we are around, encouraging us to enhance our morning presence at Qalandiya.
The Humanitarian Gate opened at 6:15, after our call to the Humanitarian Line, and was opened again about every 10 minutes thereafter until 7:00.
Three women who arrived as a family (one in her 50s or 60s and two younger women with two young children) were not allowed through the Humanitarian Gate and, despite the explanation of the DCO soldier on duty, could not understand why – since they had gone through the checkpoint last Friday for Ramadan prayers. Once we solicited the help of a man seated on one of the benches as a translator, it turned out that the women were turned away because they did not have permits. They had great difficulty understanding why the older woman was able to go through on Friday and not today, but our translator explained that last Friday was an exception for Ramadan Friday prayers (or a fluke). We suggested that they might try to apply for permits when the DCO opened at 8:30 but, after appealing a second time to the DCO soldier – who patiently explained that even were he to let them through, they would be stopped and returned at the checking station – they left in despair.
The lines were contained within two of the “cages” and people were no longer lining up by the Humanitarian Gate when we left at 7:00. The line of cars going through the vehicle checkpoint remained long, however, and moved slowly.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
-
