Qalandiya, Wed 2.5.12, Morning
We arrived at 05:00 and the entrance hall was empty. Every now and then a new group who got off the minibuses that bring people from villages around road 443 rushed in and squeezed through the turnstiles and disappeared. We couldn't believe our eyes.
The only event -embarassingly – was that as we drove through the car check I was ordered out and told to go through the regular checkpoint since I am not related to the driver. I thought it all quite humorous because the idea beyond is that if 2 unrelated people go in the car they may constitute a terrorist cell. The idea that we 2 ladies with a car full of cat food could constitute a terrorist cell made me laugh.
Folllowed a pleasant experience. All the people on the very short line found it quite amusing to see me there. The soldier in the window was very amused and surprised . Never heard of Machsomwatch and wasn't impressed by the fact that I have been coming there for 10 years. He was most amazed at the fact that I volunteer to get up at 4 o'clock in the morning. After I took my shoes off and settled the fact that the checkpoint is Area "C" and not area "A" and thus I don't transgress any "general 's orders"
he sent me off with a big smile and friendly words.
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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