Qalandiya, Tue 28.2.12, Morning
Translator: Charles K.
We were delayed 40 minutes going through the vehicle checkpoint by soldiers who insisted that checkpoint regulations permit only the driver to cross with the car. The accompanying passenger, who isn’t the driver’s relative, must be inspected separately.
Qalandiya – 06:00
Another freezing morning. A long line winds out from under the canopy to the parking lot. The checkpoint is congested. All inspection lanes are open. The ecumenical volunteer says lanes 4 and 5 opened only a few minutes ago. About ten people on line in each lane. About 400 laborers wait on the regular line, about 50 wait for the humanitarian gate to open.
Had all the inspection lanes opened an hour and a half earlier there would be no congestion now; it’s a terrible waste of time for the thousands of laborers who arrive at the checkpoint early.
Qalandiya – 06:30
356 peopled entered for inspection during the past half hour.
An elderly woman gets on the regular line. She doesn’t seem to be familiar with the rules governing survival at the checkpoint. The men direct her to the humanitarian lane; Ina clears a way for her through the dozens of children crowded before the gate.
Five or six soldiers are in the building from which the crossing is regulated. They’re chatting, enjoying themselves, don’t notice that there are no more lines at the inspection booths, and that the revolving gate can be opened more frequently so those waiting on the long line can go through more quickly.
Qalandiya – 07:00
381 peopled entered for inspection during the past half hour.
There’s a little less congestion outside. The humanitarian gate hasn’t opened for a long time; the people who waited in vain moved over to the regular line.
The soldier in charge of operating the revolving gates says he’s not responsible for the humanitarian crossing; the officer is responsible, but the officer left.
Qalandiya – 07:30
364 peopled entered for inspection during the past half hour.
Almost everyone on the regular line are people who should have crossed through the humanitarian lane.
We drove toward the vehicle crossing. After 15 minutes we reached the soldiers conducting inspections. They took both our ID cards, checked the trunk twice, and informed us that – according to the rules, only the driver is allowed to cross with the car. The accompanying passenger, who isn’t the driver’s relative, must be inspected separately.
Qalandiya – 08:00
We’re still stuck in the same place, in the line to the vehicle checkpoint. The soldiers let us call everyone we know.
A new officer arrives, with our ID cards. He asks whether we’re both Jewish and residents of Jerusalem. Yes. But he’s not really convinced.
The soldier at the DCO says, “If those are the checkpoint rules, they must be obeyed.” I explain that we’ve been crossing here every week for years, and we’ve never heard of that rule. He agrees to connect us to the DCO officer.
The DCO officer says he’ll find out about the new rules; he sounds very embarrassed as well.
Qalandiya – 08:30
The soldiers ask who we’re calling now – Ofer. Though we couldn’t make contact, our ID’s were returned two minutes later and we left.
We were delayed at the checkpoint for 40 minutes, plus 15 more minutes waiting in the vehicle lane.
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-26-2026Qalandiya. Things you see on the way
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