Qalandiya, Wed 16.11.11, Afternoon
Bituniya – Qalandiya
Whenever we can tighten our grip – we will!
16:00: We reached Bituniya – the merchandise checkpoint. Two lorries were waiting to get through, on their way to Ramalla.
A signpost read: Entrance to Judea and Samaria Districts Forbidden. Telephone numbers listed – if necessary!
The soldier at the checkpoint told us that "dangerous materials" required a special permit. The lorry he was dealing with carried six metal pipes. Asking which materials are "dangerous," the driver was answered with: "Did I talk with you"? The soldier added that there is a list! – We couldn't locate a list on the Civil Administration site… Are six irrigation pipes on the list of "dangerous materials"? The driver left Bituniya in the direction of Qalandiya and we followed his vehicle.
On the road running from the territories to Israel, we didn't notice any commercial vehicles. Only Israeli vehicles, carrying yellow identification plates, can get through. (Road 443 is off bounds for Palestinians, except for a short segment of the road).
At the edge of the Qalandiya CP we noticed a huge traffic jam. The layout of the area leads to this jammed-up situation. We talked with the driver we had followed and he claimed to have all the necessary permits – The soldier at Bituniya simply wouldn't take responsibility. "Its not because of the merchandise I carried, it's because of my identity. I could have been at home an hour ago." Only drivers from Eastern Jerusalem are allowed to transfer merchandise while this driver was an Israeli-Arab from the north of the country.
The driver asked Machsomwatch women to check the unbearable delays at Sha'ar Efrayim, which operates at awkward times incompatible with normal work-hours.
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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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