Qalandiya, Tue 27.11.12, Morning
Translation: Judith Green
….I am 56, I stood in the Humanitarian line for half an hour, they didn't let me through, they said, "Today only from age 60!" so, what is the difference between 56 an 60? I simply go out in the morning, early, from my house? How can I explain this to my children? to my grandchildren? How will they grow up?"
Qalandiya, 6:10
The vehicle checkpoint is full, as usual, of cars arriving from every direction.
The shed is dark, as usual, it seems that the crane has not yet arrived which was ordered in August, to change the bulbs in the lighting fixture which is on the ceiling of the shed.
The line is long, as usual, about 250 workers standing in 3 lines..
The humanitarian line is reasonable, as usual. About 30 men and adult women waiting.
There is no crowding in passage for inpection – all 5 booths are operating.
This morning the men waiting in the usual line calll me constantly to come over, to talk politics. Maybe because today they are supposed to take Arafat's body from his grave?
"No", they say, "whatever they find out, it doesn't matter".
Maybe because of the vote at the UN council, on Thursday, 26th of November, about Palestine becoming an observer at the UN?
"What about Thursday?" they say, "what will happen on Thursday?"
It seems that it is because of our upcoming elections. On this subject, everyone is up to date:
"Did you hear that Barak quit?" …"what will happen?"…"Willl Bibi take the elections?"
Qalandiya – 6:40
In the last half hour, 350 men entered for inspection, 120 through the humanitarian gate. The lines got much shorter. Now, 120 men are waiting in the regular line and another 30, who just arrived, in the humantarian line. No pressure at the inspection booth.
No arguments between the humanitarian line, where people wait no more than 10 minutes, and the regular line, where they wait sometimes for an hour. And, when they pass through, all at once, 50 men through the humanitarian line, they take up 3 out of the 5 places at the inspection booth – at the expense of the regular line of workers who are stuck.
Qalandiya, 7:10
In half an hour, 330 men went through inspection, 140 through the humanitarian line. In the regular line, there are still about 100 men waiting, while the humanitarian line is completely empty. About 60 men waiting at the inspection area.
At the exit from the parking lot we are caught in a traffic jam and decide to get to Jerusalem the long way, through the Hismeh checkpoint in the north of the city.
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 FleishmanFeb-16-2026Qalandiya CP: shortcut
-