Qalandiya, Wed 13.10.10, Afternoon
Translator: Charles K.
15:50-18:00
Summary of the afternoon at the Qalandiya checkpoint: long lines and crowding at peak hours, every single day, but who cares?
15:50 The coffee seller tells us that today, except for early in the morning, everything is ok and there are no delays. Three lanes are open. Now it's rush hour, when students and workers are returning to Jerusalem, and everything isn't ok; it depends who's watching.
Long lines form immediately.
The usual terrible traffic jam and chaos at the "red" plaza. The locked barrier forces everyone traveling from south to north to make a long, unnecessary detour.
16:40 There are still many people jammed in front of the three open lanes.
Between 16:00-18:00 it takes about 30-40 minutes to go through.
A woman who works in Ramallah leaves work at 15:00 and gets home at 18:00, if not later.
It also took us 40 minutes to get through, and at the end the female soldier yelled to Daniela, "Yes! to checkpoints
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 FleishmanNov-30-2025Qalandiya: Puddles and dirt after the rain
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