Qalandiya, Wed 5.10.11, Afternoon
Translator: Charles K.
Between closures, the checkpoint continues operating – humiliating, filthy and evil.
15:45 – All the roads north are packed and jammed. Vehicles in the right-hand lane are up on the sidewalks. The returning workers – wave after wave of men rushing home after a workday that began very early – hurry across.
As usual, only two fenced corridors are open, 20-25 people waiting in each. We’re told it’s already been like this for two hours. People complain that “children get out of school at 2:00 and get home late.”
Traffic at the northern plaza is slow and jammed up. The shed is filthy, stinking of urine, and only the fragrance of the lovely guavas at the stand at the entrance refreshes the air a bit. From a distance, the crossing for people with blue ID’s looks very crowded, since people go through there one by one.
16:15 – There are still only two fenced corridors open, at least 30 people in each. People aren’t delayed in the pen but the wait is long nevertheless. It took Ruthie 40 minutes to go through corridor 2, from the time she entered until she came out. People stand quietly despairing, no pushing, no one talks, only a very little boy loses patience. Chana is at corridor 4. It took her 30 minutes to go through. A group of young people fools around pretending one is blind, another showing him the way.
16:40 – The female soldier closed the fenced passage; Chana says something to her sharply (yelling), the soldier says the order came from “above.” After a few minutes during which part of the line moved elsewhere, they’re letting people through again, but without forgoing the ceremony: a man with a very dignified appearace is forced to remove his shoes, humiliated and angry.
The atmosphere, and the contact with the people crossing, is one of quiet bitterness. We’re viewed somewhat scornfully because of what little we’re able to do, and there’s considerable despair. The students explain to me that it’s not worth getting angry – anyway, it does no good. Not here.
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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