Qalandiya, Wed 21.9.11, Afternoon
Translation: Bracha B.A.
16:00 – At the southern area the minibuses have been moved to the road leading to 443. The parking lot for the busses has now been designated for all types of military vehicles such as a bulldozer, the maintenance tender for the seamline zone, and police cars and other military vehicles. Two attractive horses are also tied there. There are sounds of shooting, sirens, and loudspeakers from the watchtower. Despite all the noise there are very few pedestrians and vehicles.
The waiting shed is empty except for the candy vendor who is there every day. The unemployed taxi drivers are killing time playing children's games.
At 16:30 there is a change in shifts among the soldiers who are stationed at the entrance to the refugee camp. All of them are equipped with gas masks, tear gas guns and protective gear. There is a stench from a garbage container and a protected crew from channel 2 TV are also in the area.
There is a strange feeling as opposed to the reports of unrest that we heard about. The soldiers calmly go back and forth. People coming to the checkpoint from the direction of Ramallah don't appear to be worried. Everyone wants to talk and discuss things. A doctor who works in the National Health Clinic emphasizes his desire for peace. A self-educated owner of a grocery store says that he reads Gideon Levi, Amira Hass, and other columnists. "You have a partner, but you're afraid. This is our home and we want quiet." Looking at the wall he adds, "We don't have any breathing room." Another young man adds that there won't be intifada.
Everything is conducted in a calm quiet and complacent manner.
17:20 – the crossing for people with blue ID cards and the minibus route going south are closed. The cage is full and there is only one sleeve open. Consequently the few people who want to cross have to wait for over a half hour. Palestinians' time has no significance or value.
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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
-