Qalandiya
We arrived at Qalandiya about 5.20. We parked and went by foot to the Palestinian side. At this time of the year it is already getting light. Inside we saw that the lines reached the parking lot. And only 4 of the 5 windows were open. But later the lines grew shorter and the 5th window also opened so that the lines did not extend outside the shed.
It is the high point of the fast of Ramadan and therefore the baigel seller is not present. The people in line do not drink or smoke. The kiosk already vanished the previous week. We did not see any progress in the openings in the wall near to the place where the kiosk stood. The parking lot if empty and the entrance to it is blocked.
Because the lines were not long, the women entered the usual line with no problems. There were a fair amount of people but the windows appeared to be working efficiently and the people passed at a good pace. At about 6 the change of shift in the aquarium took place. After that the guards arrive and then the policewoman . We did not see a representative of the DCo. Women and those who have the right to pass through the humanitarian line were sent to the usual line which was not long. We did not see any elderly people who usually can only pass at 8am being returned. A group of women wearing the white Hagib who were evidently going to El Akza waited in the shed. At one point they joined the line, but we saw afterwards the they waited inside as they were not allowed to pass until 8.
‘Only at about 6.20 two representatives of the DC0 arrived and together with them the veteran battalion commander, P., whom we have not seen in long time. But because the lines were already very short the humanitarian gate was not opened and everyone passed in the usual line with no problems.
At about 6.30 we left and passed within 25 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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