Qalandiya, Tue 29.10.13, Morning
Translation: Judith Green
We found long lines deep within the parking lot when we arrived at 5:40. All the booths were open and there was a policeman and a female soldier in the "aquarium", but a lot of time went by between every opening of the turnstiles – also those at the end of the barriers as well as those at the entrance to the sleeves. A crowd formed in front of the humanitarian gate before 6:00; we called the hotline to ask for a soldier or a DCO rep to come before 6:15 in order to open it. Indeed, after a few minutes the policeman left the "aquarium" and opened the gate himself (without a guard). A few minutes later, and female soldier from the DCO arrived, along with a guard; after that, the gate opened every time a crowd of people formed in front of it.
A nice point: at a certain moment, the guard accompanied an elderly woman who clung to his arm and could only walk very slowly, from the humanitarian gate to the exterior turnstile of sleeve #5. We don't know if this was at his own initiative, or if someone else in the staff of that morning (2 policemen and the DCO soldier) asked him to do it.
Starting at the hour of 6:30, the turnstiles opened more frequently and allowed more people to go through each time. This is something that repeated itself every time there was pressure at the checkpoint during the morning – as it gets closer to 7:00, the hour when the workers start work, the pace increased. What was not clear (and quite annoying) was why the pace was so slow before 6:30, even when all the sleeves were open. Anyway, the lines disappeared by the time we left at 7:00.
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
-
