Qalandiya, Tuesday, 19.7.11, Morning
When we arrive at Qalandia at 6:15, lines extend outside the covered waiting area and shouts are emitted by those waiting to enter or already inside the three cage-like “sleeves,” testifying that the turnstiles have not been opened for a while. (Perhaps the backup has been caused by the staff change at 6 a.m., though one man near the end of a line claims that he has already been waiting 15 minutes, since 6, without moving forward at all). There are also about 20 people waiting in front of the Humanitarian Gate, which had yet to be opened, we are told by the two EAPPI volunteers from the World Council of Churches whom we meet there.
We call the DCO and are told that the Civil Administration officer in charge of the Humanitarian Gate had arrived at his office 10 minutes earlier and would soon come out to open the gate. He does so at 6:25, allowing all the 25 or so people to go through at once. Thereafter there is little pressure on the Humanitarian Gate, as it is opened either by the CA officer or the security guard each time an individual turns up — and very few do.
When the CA officer arrives, he also notices that a small TV crew (from the BBC, as it turns out) is filming in the waiting area, speaking specifically to the men about to enter or already inside the “sleeves.” Coincidentally or otherwise, the pace at which the turnstiles are opened begins to pick up, with as many as 70 people (23 X 3) being allowed through at once. This move, however, only exacerbates the crowding in the next area, where people are waiting to show their permits (but to which the film crew does not have access). As a result, thereafter fewer people are allowed through the turnstiles each time they are opened.
When approached, we speak briefly to the correspondent about MachsomWatch and give him our tag (in lieu of a calling card) but are not (to our knowledge) filmed. He also asks to speak with the Civil Administration officer (with whom he apparently saw us speaking), but the latter naturally could not do so without permission. (To us the officer laments that the journalists are paying no attention to the existence of the Humanitarian Gate. Ironically, there seems little reason for it to catch their eye, as it is operating properly and no one is left languishing in front of it). As the BBC crew leaves, we invite them to join us again next week, as their presence seems to have had a sobering (if not actually ameliorating) effect.
We are told by a man at the end of one of the lines whom we approach for his cell number at 6:15 and subsequently call that it took him 1 hour and 5 minutes to traverse the checkpoint. (He also reports that the film crew told him to look for the piece on the BBC today or tomorrow.) When we leave at 6:50, all three sleeves are empty, though there are still long lines of people waiting to show their permits at the next stage of the process.
We arrive at Anata at 7:15 to find both pedestrian and vehicular traffic flowing smoothly. There seems to be no movement at all toward opening the far more elaborate checkpoint already built nearby. What is blatant at Anata is the filth (garbage) that has accumulated near the checkpoint and is most alarming in the area where, come September, buses will again pick up children and take them to schools in other Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Need we add that no crosswalk has been painted since we last wrote about the problem? We leave Anata at 7:30.
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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