Qalandiya, Tue 26.2.13, Morning
The checkpoint was almost completely empty when we arrived at 05:45. People entered freely through the revolving gate in the third lane (the leftmost) during most of the time we were there. The revolving gates at two of the fenced corridors were out of order for a while but still almost no line formed in the cage-like passage, and if it did it was only very briefly. The humanitarian gate opened once for a wheelchair.
Since this was the second consecutive shift during which we witnessed these encouraging signs at Qalandiya in the morning, we talked to the DCO soldier responsible for the humanitarian gate to discover why. He said that according to the counts provided by the checkpoint manager the same number of people cross on what’s considered a good day as on what’s considered a bad day, so it’s possible that the problems arise because of variations in the timing of arrivals (an old explanation). He also noted that not every day is like today, or like last week, and tomorrow or the next day the lines may stretch all the way to the parking lot. So it’s too early to recommend that we stop coming to Qalandiya and devote instead more attention to other problematic locations in the Jerusalem area.
There was an interesting development – we ran into Yoaz Hendel and a group of students (all male, most wearing yarmulkes) he’d brought along. Hendel, you recall, was the Prime Minister’s communications adviser until they parted ways because of the Natan Eshel incident. Shortly afterwards, Hendel wrote about Machsom Watch in his column in Yediot Aharonot (if I remember correctly), asking why the Israeli left has a monopoly on defending human rights? There’s no reason, he said, that people on the right shouldn’t be equally concerned about protecting human rights. So he formed a group called “Blue and white for human rights”, recruited students from Bar Ilan University (in coordination with the administration) and began bringing them to the checkpoints to see what happens there. It was a pleasant meeting, perhaps because it was too early in the morning to get into discussions about questions like how is it possible to reconcile support for human rights with support for the occupation. So we wished them success. Maybe there are some members of Machsom Watch interested in beginning a dialogue with them to offer a broader perspective on what it means to defend human rights.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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