At the traffic circle on the way to the Qalandiya checkpoint, there was a new
sign: "Welcome to the Atarot Industrial Park" There is no end to the
cynicism

16:20 We got to the checkpoint and saw a police traffic patrol stop vehicles
travelling toward Ramallah. A driver went out of his car and began to argue.
The policeman pushed him toward his car that was parked by the side. When we
drove near to the car, a traveller who was standing near the driver told us that
the apparent reason for the delay was that passengers were not buckled in, but
the real reason was the identity of the traveller (Gabril Rajoub). The driver
was fined and was charged with two points. That car was released and another
car was stopped. When we asked the passengers why they were stopped, we were
told that the police accused the passenger of having put on his seat belt only
after he saw the police. They said that the passenger had scarcely managed to
get into the car when he was slapped with this charge.

17:04 At the crossing for pedestrians there were initially two lanes open,
but one was almost immediately closed. Only one lane was open and the line was
long. For 5 minutes, a horrendous tapping was heard that could drive one mad.
A woman soldier said that that was a fire alarm. We saw no sign of a fire. A
new way of disturbing people.

17:10 The line was growing longer. In the enclosed areas, someone wrote on
the ceiling, "could you believe this is for people? This is for monkeys" In
Arabic, "don't push strongly". A man within the area wanted to say to me
"People are thirsty and want to pass" From his mouth, we detected a familiar
odor, like that of Jews during the Neila prayer before the breaking of the
fast. In one lane, a soldier shouted at the people who were entering the
inspection area: "All of you get out and come in by threes. We don't want a
"balagan" (great confusion). After several minutes, he seemed to regret this
and decided to announce restrictions. From now on, they would enter one by
one. He was the only checker who was busy with shouting and the line did not
let up. We called them and informed them about what was going on and the line
slowly moved forward at a more rapid pace.

At the checkpoint for vehicles, the soldiers announced over a megaphone,
"whoever beeps will not cross".

There were no toilet vacilities. The waiting time was long and a strong
stench of urine

Location Description

Qalandiya Checkpoint

See all reports for this place

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-5-2024

Tamar Fleishman

Qalandiya: Four women from Nablus are refused crossing the checkpoint to pray

View the full album

Qalandiya, יום ד' 17.9.08, אחה"צ

At the traffic circle on the way to the Qalandiya checkpoint, there was a new sign: "Welcome to the Atarot Industrial Park" There is no end to the cynicism

Qalandiya: Four women from Nablus are refused crossing the checkpoint to pray

At the traffic circle on the way to the Qalandiya checkpoint, there was a new
sign: "Welcome to the Atarot Industrial Park" There is no end to the
cynicism