The collapse of queues and the most difficult morning at Qalandiya checkpoint
05.35. We arrived a little later than ususal. Posters announce the opening of a new carpark in the area next to the café attached to the existing carpark. At this hour it is still closed.
Even in the dark it was possible to see that the area had been cleaned – perhaps in honour of the forthcoming elections? But as we approached the Palestinian side we could already hear from afar the sounds that warned us of imminent collapse of queues, and people we met told us that the situation was bad. When we entered the shed we saw the usual unhappy sight of piles of people at the entrance to the three cages, and benches full of people who had withdrawn from the melee. Every time the turnstiles opened there was shouting and pushing. At the side was the new falafel stall, now installed inside the shed near the cages, possibly in preparation for the coming winter.
The beigel seller was in his usual place in the shed and the kiosk outside was open.
When we arrived, there was already a policeman present, but did not do anything at this stage. Four checking stations, and later five, were open.
A young man told us that last week he was beaten by security guards and he wanted to complain about them and the policemen. He decided not ot do so after seeing on you-tube films about policemen who had struck Jews whose complaints did not help. If it didn’t help them, he would give up in advance. He has something to lose … He says everyone hopes that when the new section of the checkpoint opens the passage will be automatic, as it is (according to him) in Na’alin. After fingerprint check, the gate opens automatically. No need of soldiers who are busy with smartphones, or who go out for long breaks. (Later we read in our colleague Ina’s report that this is what is expected here. Here’s hoping…)
After 6 o’clock there were already many people at the humanitarian gate. When a guard arrives, he and the policeman began to operate the gate. Later a D.C.O officer arrived. They allowed batches of people through, until there was no queue. Now anyone who arrived and was entitled – mainly women with permits – went through.
Meanwhile we went outside to show our visitor the traffic checkpoint and surroundings. When we returned there was still chaos, but gradually queues began to form. After 7 o’clock there were already queues, but long ones. Towards 8, they became shorter and we joined one. The D.C.O. soldier shut the humanitarian gate without allowing in older folk who can enter at 8 without permits. But after a few minutes when children or sick elderly arrived, the policeman and guard once again opened the gate, and then the other older folk could pass, too. This happened a few times until we reached the checking stations.
Although the lines became shorter, it took us 45 minutes to pass and it was 8.30 before we were outside. Now we could see on the opposite side a sign about the parking lot, and next to it a poster about the Arab list for the municipal elections, We asked people sitting there if there had been any response, and they said there had been. Apparently there has been relatively more participation in east Jerusalem (yet still a tiny proportion of those with voting rights).
As it was late, we were caught in peak-time traffic jams. Thus returning to town also was slower than usual.
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 FleishmanJun-28-2026Qalandiya. The bridge leading from Jerusalem to the Qalandiya checkpoint
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