Qalandiya, Wed 22.4.09, Afternoon
The main problem at the moment at Qalandiya is the sweeping prohibition of passengers to remain within taxis coming from the north to Jerusalem. All the passengers have to alight and go through the checkpoint, young and old, women, and only people who are more than 50% handicapped are allowed to stay on the bus. This is very difficult for the old and for children going to school without their parents. Not to mention the time that all this takes for the "unconsidered" element of this transparent population and the pressure which ensues.
15.40 At the pedestrian lane there are many people. About 20 people before each of the 3 open turnstiles. The cages which led to the sleeves and the shed are full of people. Prisoners' families are returning from their visits.15.50 The north car lanes. The soldier as usual blares from the heights of the pillbox. It is Hamsin (a heat wave) and people are drying out in their cars. A driver of one of the vans approaches us. Last week he wanted to complain that they make people now get out of the vans and go through the checkpoint on foot. The drivers are upset and worried at this change.
16.25 Two sleeves are open and another one which allows only people with parcels to go through and there are not many of those. The lines are as usual: the cage is full and reaches the middle of the shed.
17.25 On our way to the car we saw from afar a long line at Atarot.
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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 FleishmanApr-12-2026Qalandiya. Abdallah at his fruit stand
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