Qalandiya, Wed 25.1.12, Afternoon
13:30 – 16:00 Road 443
In preparation of a talk about MachsomWatch for students of the Hebrew University Secondary School (“Leyada”) before their army service, we decided to devote part of the lecture to the absurd situation and condition of Road 443 and take pictures on the way. At the ‘observation’ point of the ‘fabric of life’ sunken road near the New Giv’on were a number of Border Police jeeps with many officers who very politely asked us whether they could be of any help and warned us not to approach the ‘dangerous’ road.
We tried to turn off at the first exit after the Ofer CP but found that the newly painted arrows on the road led to a fence and stopping was not only extremely difficult, but also very dangerous.
There were some concrete blocks and a huge heap of garbage between Road 443 and a parallel Palestinian road where three cabs were waiting for a chance of a passenger. Two had yellow license plates, but are not allowed to enter Israel (or even the small part of Road 443), the third with a Palestinian license is allowed to travel the few kilometers on road 443, but it is not worth his while because of the hassle of the strict security. His car costs ten times as much as the others, because it is a registered taxi with the Palestinian authority. The other cars are lucky if they make thirty shekels a day. The economic situation is atrocious.
We took some pictures of the construction of the “Institutionalization” of the Kiryat Sefer passage, but unfortunately, because of the long line of impatient cars behind us we were unable to take a picture of the sign which directs “non-Israeli” vehicles to the left (where the passage was closed off) and Israeli vehicles to the right. On the way back beyond the Kharbata (Maccabee) CP there is still no pedestrian crossing at the exit of the road which is blocked off and where many cars were awaiting returning workers. 
However the sign which does not allow unauthorized crossing is VERY prominent (see picture). And of course no pedestrian crossing exists. We took some more pictures of signs on the road back such as the one for Israelis: If you got here; you made a mistake – turn back! And telling Palestinians that this is the last spot they are allowed to turn off from the road.
The Ofer CP now has six lanes and construction is still going on, we took a shot from above from the road towards Givat Ze’ev.
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
-