Qalandiya, Wed 2.4.08, Morning
8.20 There is a long line of men and women including some with babies on their hands before three turnstiles .
Each time that the turnstiles open many people manage to get
through and this takes about 10 minutes.
All 5 checking posts are open .
On the benches in the shed the families of the prisoners are waiting. Two
drivers come up to us and complain that they have two buses full of people going
to the Ofer camp and they had been promised that they would get through before
7.30 …but they are still here. They explain that the people are already very
tired, having arrived at 3.30
in the morning from the places where they were gathered
and are also tired from the excitement of the thought of meeting their sons,
brothers, husbands.
We phone the humanitarian centre and
they know that there is a problem and explain that the families have been
delayed so as to alleviate the pressure of those who are also waiting at the
turnstiles. And if they allow the families through now these people will be
delayed.
8.40 A man and woman arrive in an
ambulanc. The woman is very weak and cannot stand in the line and she is on her
way to chemotherapy and on the other side our friend Ruthie is waiting to take them to
hospital. Natanya asks the soldiers to let them through but he says that only a
policeman can do this. The policeman acts quickly and helps them through to
where Ruthie is waiting.
9.00
A group of about 20 people stand
between the fences separate from the families and others who are waiting to be
checked. They are sent to the 5th turnstile so that the DCO can get
to work.
9.10
A handicapped girl with a young woman
who is pushing the wheelchair arrives and within a few minutes two soldiers
arrive and open the humanitarian gate for them.
9.20 The soldiers move the barriers
to the right and now only turnstile 1 and 2 are open for people wanting to
enter Jerusalem.
3, 4 and 5 are for the prisoners' families and soon the families are on their
way. The passage is swift and efficient but one has to remember that the people
had waited there for more than two hours.
9.40 The line in the shed lessens
and people pass within 2-3 minutes. And for a while there is calm until once
again the terrible pressure starts to build up tomorrow
morning.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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