Qalandiya - schoolchildren stand in long lines
A crowded morning in Qalandiya.
06.15. On the Israel side, there were many people coming towards us as we crossed the road towards the pedestrian bridge. Then the flow suddenly ceased when we descended the steps at the end of the bridge. When we reached the Palestinian side at 6.20 we found long – but orderly – queues. We had the impression that entry was irregular and somewhat erratic. There were many schoolchildren.
We did not leave the building as we knew that the beigel seller would not be present today because of Ramadan. We did not see any “Ramadan Kareem” notices, as we have done in previous years. But we saw later strings of bulbs along the pedestrian bridge, which presumably are lit at night.
People told us that on Fridays only vaccinated people are allowed to pass to pray at Al-Aqsa. In the past, most people did not don masks until they had to enter the building. Now, just when we in Israel are permitted to be without masks when outdoors, we saw far more people wearing masks even before entering the building. Apparently, by now mask-wearing has become more habitual. Because of Ramadan there was no eating, drinking or smoking.
At about 7 o’clock the lines became shorter and soon there was no line extending out beyond the entry passages. We joined the middle one. Though the turnstile opened, entry was slow. When we entered, we found that lots of people had simply been allowed through so that the hall between that turnstile and the turnstile leading into the main checking area was densely crowded. It was hard to see what was going on, but it seems one of the checking machines inside was not working so that people were moving from one queue to another. A security man appeared in the gallery above to observe. The turnstiles feeding this waiting area stopped – presumably causing lines to form again outside, which we could not see – and the people waiting inside advanced slowly, resignedly through the turnstiles to the package-checking machines.
After these machines, there were 7 electronic document-checking positions open in a central batch. Only one ‘manned’ position was open for examining blue identity cards and pupils’ birth certificates (“kushan”), so quite a long line formed there. Many people coming into the hall from the eastern entrance had to break through this line to reach the electronic machines.
Nevertheless, passage was quick and from entering the building to passing all the way through took us 15-20 minutes.
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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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