Following High Court petition by HaMoked, ACRI and Ir Amin: Israel takes steps to resume regular and full movement via the Qalandia checkpoint

On November 7, 2023, HaMoked, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and Ir Amim petitioned the High Court of Justice (HCJ), demanding a return to normal operation at the Qalandia checkpoint. One of the Jerusalem perimeter checkpoints in the Separation Wall, Qalandia checkpoint is the principle artery through which the inhabitants of Kufr Aqab – one of several Jerusalem neighborhoods the lie beyond the Wall – can reach the rest of the city. Alongside all the other Jerusalem perimeter checkpoints, the Qalandia checkpoint was closed following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israeli communities and the outbreak of war. Its operation was resumed two weeks later but in a partial and highly restricted manner, leaving Kufr Aqab residents, who are permanent residents and citizens of Israel, under a near-complete closure. In the petition, the petitioners clarified that the consequent disruption to the residents' daily lives – including the denial of access to urgent healthcare services, employment, educational institutions and so on – is severe and disproportionate and cannot be justified by Israel’s prevailing security needs.

On February 6, 2024, the State submitted an updating notice in the petition – which was heard jointly with another petition filed by the Society of St. Yves regarding the operation of other Jerusalem perimeter checkpoints. The State repeated its earlier claim that the operation of the checkpoints was reduced due to the fact that some 70% of the civilian guards staffing the checkpoints were recruited as reservists to the military. The State announced that following the hearing and the Court’s decision of January 9, 2024, whereby the State must reconsider the “continuation of the repercussions on the daily life of tens of thousands of Jerusalem residents”, it was decided to strive to fully operate all these checkpoints by requesting the civilian guards be released from military duty. As a result, the State asserted, 166 guards were released from reserve duty, and once they return to work, priority would be given to their allocation to Qalandia. The State also clarified that as of January 24, 2024, one lane was opened for pedestrian passage from the early morning hours until closing time at 18:00. The State added that in response to the claim regarding difficulties in medical evacuation not by ambulance when the vehicle passage was closed, as of February 5, 2024, one car lane operated 24/7 to allow uninterrupted passage by car to Israelis who seek to get from their neighborhoods to the rest of Jerusalem, and that another lane operated 24/7 in the other direction. The State noted that this was in addition to the previously announced operation of three car lanes during the rush hours.

The State announced that it expects that soon the checkpoint would be fully operational as in the past, and requested to submit an additional updating notice by February 20, 2024.