Qalandiya, Mon 19.12.11, Afternoon

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Natanya G. and Phyllis W. (reporting)

Dec-19-2011

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Afternoon

Seriously? Does this make us safer?

16:00: When we reached Qalandiya we found only one passageway open in the pedestrian CP. Passageway 4 was quite full. Then we heard an announcement over the PA system that another passageway was opening. But the soldier making the announcement did not quite know which passageway would open. First he announced Passageway 2 and then Passageway 1 and finally Passageway 3. Those waiting at the end of the line in Passageway 4 began running to and fro in a desperate attempt to shorten the waiting time, but in the meantime no new passageway was opened. It was like watching an experimenter torturing his lab animals, or like someone making a horrible joke. We began phoning: first the passageway unit (the female soldier who answered had no idea what was happening), then headquarters (where they promised to make inquiries) and finally a new phone number where a man name Ya'akov answered and promised to intervene and resolve the difficulties. (He was very nice, but not very quick about fulfilling his promises.)

After a quarter of an hour we began to see signs that Passageway 1 would be opened. In no time there were 40 men, women and children waiting in line. The female soldier in the "aquarium" announced that those in line should go to Passageway 4, and only when about half of those waiting had done so did she finally open the carousel and begin to process those on line.

When Passageway 1 began operating, the soldiers in Passageway 4 decided to call it a day and began organizing themselves to finish their shift: they stopped letting people into the examination area, began to put on their ceramic vests and then sat down in their armchairs for a pleasant conversation. We began another round of phone calls: Ya'akov promised to set things straight, headquarters continued to inquire and the passageway unit said that they were taking care of the situation. After another 10 minutes we phoned headquarters yet again. Someone there must have phoned the soldiers in Passageway 4 because they finished their conversation and opened the carousel allowing people to enter the examination area. At 16:50 things looked as though they were settling into a routine and the lines started to shrink. Natanya and I went out to the parking lot. On the other side of the CP we could see that the line of bus passengers was also quite long.

We saw a Palestinian ambulance in the vehicle CP and a Jerusalem ambulance awaiting its arrival in the bus parking lot. Passage was not too long. Within several minutes the Palestinian ambulance drove up, its passenger was transferred and continued on his way.
At 17:05 we returned to see what was happening in the CP. Passageway 4 was closed and all the people had transferred to Passageway 1. There were about 30 people in line, but the soldiers were working and the line was moving.

Location Description

Qalandiya Checkpoint

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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)

Apr-17-2024

Tamar Fleishman

Qalandiya: New automated surveillance system

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