Qalandiya
We are uncertain about the rules at present for workers entering Israel. As far as we understand, permit holders go out without Corona restrictions.
06.10. When we arrived, there was a steady stream passing without delays. Abu Ramzi, the beigel seller, stood with his cart in the parking lot. According to him at 4.30, when he arrives, there are already people arriving. Conditions are hard and he brings fewer wares nowadays and, if it were not necessary to support his daughter and grandchildren he would stop altogether.
A woman squats with her belongings at an entrance to the checkpoint. We thought she was waiting for the offices to open but saw later that she was begging – the Corona aggravating an already hard situation. We gave her a little…
When we went to the kiosk for tea we saw a notice on the fence next to it, advertising “Brothers’ Parking” which belongs to the owner’s family, which also offers office services like applications for magnetic cards, etc.
As you may remember, a while ago – thanks to our spokesperson Raia – media people (Nurit Yochanan of Kan 11) visited Qalandiya, D.C.O. Etzion and other places, and reported among other things, on the state toilets. Since then at Etzion a new clean building has been erected, and the Qalandiya toilets were cleaned (located in the old checkpoint building). Since new building works have begun on this shed, access to the toilets was in the men’s toilet. But the last few times we have visited this, too, has been locked. We checked this time: the sign on the wall marking the location of the toilets was fallen on the ground behind the pipes. The door of the toilet itself was locked and all the space around it inside the shed was piled with dirt and excreta.
Soon after 7 o’clock we entered the checkpoint and passed through in a few minutes without any delay.
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 FleishmanNov-30-2025Qalandiya: Puddles and dirt after the rain
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