Al Jib (Givat Zeev), Bir Nabala, Jaba (Lil), Qalandiya, Tue 28.8.12, Afternoon
While at Beit Hanina before heading on our way, an old man named Anton, a pensioner of the Red Crescent, approached us. He was very pleased to see us and explained how important it was that human activists be there, but then added: "Here all human rights are crushed".
Qalandiya Checkpoint:
The parking lot on the northern side of the checkpoint was filled with vehicles, but never the less the checkpoint was deserted.
Bir Nabala:
On our way to El Jib checkpoint we parked just at the entrance to the village Bir Nabala, there a mysterious slit in the separation wall appeared before us. It seemed as though one of the wall's concrete beams had been removed.
Al Jib:
Many vehicles were parked on the side of the road leading to El Jib checkpoint, and under the shade of the fig trees were drivers waiting to take the laborers with permits to pass through the checkpoint, back to their homes. When we arrived at the turnstile a BP officer escorted by another soldier came towards us. The officer described the checkpoint as one that served actual humanitarian needs: according to him, the essence of the checkpoint is to assist the Palestinians who work in Givon and Pisgat Zeev, since they no longer have to pass through Qalandiya checkpoint. He added that the El Jib checkpoint reduces the traffic at Qalandiya checkpoint. From a conversation we had with a friend that sells Falafel and coffee at the entrance to the checkpoint, as well as the one we had with one of the drivers, we learned that long line which are a result of strict inspections, often cause laborers to miss a day of work due of their tardiness. According to them, when missing a day of work a laborer might lose between 120 to 150 Shekels. In addition, it would seem that the officer had forgotten all those laborers wishing to get back home to El Jib, but that do not appear in the list of names of people who are permitted to pass. In these cases the soldier will send them to Qalandiya, a long and pricy journey.
At the end of the conversation, the officer approached the drivers and told them to park the cars that nearest to the checkpoint at the back, so as to create a 50 meter security zone. He explained to us that the possibility that one of them might park a vehicle with a bomb in it by the checkpoint worried him.
One of the drivers showed us an invite he received to work in a factory doing woodwork and construction. He was prevented passage by the police and wondered how he could ever pay a lawyer so that the prevention would be lifted, when he is a father of five who was currently making his living from driving laborers home.
Jaba checkpoint:
At Jaba checkpoint it seemed that someone was overzealous as there were two trainers with their dogs. The checkpoint commander explained that this was a "routine inspection of the dogs". Is the inspection preformed there really of the dogs or is it perhaps it's actually an inspection of Palestinians? The attached photo is of a dog being rewarded after having found the ball his coacher placed in the vehicle of a Palestinian. Much has been said about the training of dogs using Palestinian vehicles that pass through this checkpoint, the following link is to an article by Amira Has that elaborates on this:
http://www.haaretz.co.il/news/politics/1.1725872
The driver of a passing vehicle didn't understand what the soldier was trying to signal him and broke through the checkpoint. One of the soldiers cocked his rifle and began chasing him, the driver stopped and was nearly shot. The four passengers were taken out of the car and detained while an inspection of the vehicle was being preformed. At last they were permitted to drive on. Perhaps, had we not been there this event might have ended differently.
Al-Jib CP Givat Zeev (Jerusalem)
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Al-Jib CP GivatZeev (Jerusalem)
It is located on the separation fence, west of the al-Jib enclave. The checkpoint is regularly manned by Border Police and private security companies. Palestinians are not allowed to cross except for residents of the al-Khalaila neighborhood of the village of al-Jib, residents of al-Jib who own land on the western side of the fence, residents of a-Nabi Samuel, which is their only access road to Ramallah and the villages in northwest Jerusalem, as well as Palestinians with work permits in the Givat Zeev settlement and UN workers passing through UN vehicles.
(Updated January 2020)
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Jaba' (Lil)
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Jaba' (Lil) In fact, the Jaba checkpoint is east of the Qalandiya checkpoint. Its declared purpose is the prevention of Israeli citizens from entering Area A. A road checkpoint for vehicles, located on Road 65, borders the southern fence of Kfar Jaba, about three kilometers east of the Qalandiya checkpoint, on the road leading to the settlement of Adam on Road 60. Archaeological excavations within the village found the remains of a cloth house from the First Temple period. The events that led to the construction of the checkpoint are precisely here: on the day of the abduction of Gilad Shalit and before the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, a 17-year-old man from one of the settlements was abducted by a Palestinian cell. His body was found several days later at the entrances to Ramallah. A military investigation revealed that his abductors had taken him along this route. The checkpoint was set up to prevent future kidnappings and to warn settlers from traveling to Ramallah and entering Area A (which is forbidden for Israelis). The checkpoint that operates around the clock. Usually only vehicles traveling in the direction of Ramallah are inspected. (November 2016): Every morning, when the settlers en masse travel to Jerusalem on Route 60 and every afternoon they return from Jerusalem on Route 60, the army initiates a traffic jam at the entrance to the Jaba checkpoint and stops the movement of Palestinians traveling toward Route 60. (February 2020): In the last two years the checkpoint has not always been manned. Sometimes the soldiers come and just stand, sometimes they come and stop and check those who enter the village, sometimes they patrol the alleys of the village, sometimes they fire stun grenades and gas and sometimes they invade houses and stop young people, say those passing through the Hazma checkpoint. (Updated February 2020)
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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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