Ar-Ram, Atarot, Bir Nabala, Qalandiya, Sun 10.2.08, Afternoon
Ar-Ram checkpoint . 2.45
Some Palestinian cars are waiting
+ UN cars and amongst them cars on which were
written in Hebrew "Doctors for peace."
Qalandiya checkpoint. 3.00
In the waiting area of the shed
we went to see the extensive renovations which had been carried out on the
toilets a few weeks ago and truly the work has ended. The toilets both for men
and women smell of new paints, the blue colour can be seen through the windows
which are barred and we saw the new toilets and basins
which had been put in. But the thorn in the rose is that the doors are locked
and who needs the services will not receive them.
At the checkpoint itself two checked areas, 1 and 4,
were working slowly. At the DCO people were waiting outside the locked turnstile
pressing again and again on the intercom device. Phyllis phoned the DCo and they
said that she had to phone the operations room of the envelope area.
War room? War against whom? They said that immediately someone from the DCO
would come and solve the problem. Case came and allowed them through and said
that the x-ray machine in the third turnstile was not working and that he sees
what is happening another screen and has come himself to open each time that
about 10 people were waiting. And what if there are less….until when should they
wait. And why dafke 10
We ourselves went into the waiting area where we found
that not only the x-ray machine was not working but also not the turnstiles
which lead to the offices. The Palestinians had to revert to pantomiming their
desire to enter or exit the offices so as to draw the attention of the soldiers
sitting in the "sterile" offices. And this also if they wanted to take through
prams. We learned that this gate is also called the humanitarian gate. This is
a new addition to the new school of army words.
3.40 We went to the car lane and saw no dog trainers in
the 20 minutes that we were there. 2 women were made to get out of the bus and
go through the pedestrian lane.
In the centre of the car lane 3 sad flags waves, one of the army unit, one of the state of Israel and one of the police. From afar we saw the
checkpoint of Atarot where there were 20 cars waiting behind the turning to
road 443.
Bir Naballah.
For the last 3 weeks border
police have been stationed there. The soldiers of the engineering corps watch
from the pillbox. The checkpoint which we call Bir Naballah has been called
the "Rafat checkpoint" by the Palestinian since it was moved because it is at
the entrance of this village and the army calls it "the embroidery of
life" and we think this is so because it manages to completely ruin any
framework of life for those wishing to pass through it. One man.his workshop is in the centre of Bir
Naballah approached us and complained about a soldier and his actions.
This is the same soldier about
whom I complained some weeks ago to his commander, and was
promised that he would be removed from the checkpoint. For some weeks we did not
hear about him but it seems that in the last while he has made a comeback and
sometimes detains the driver for hours and causes long lines of 10s of cars,
insults them, humiliates both young and old and does not spare his arm using
violence against anyone he does not like.
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'Atarot
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Atarot
Atarot was a workers' settlement destroyed during the War of Independence, where the Arab village of Qalandiya now stands, in the southwestern part of Atarot Airport, built by the British Mandate. After 1967, the Atarot industrial zone was established nearby, and until the completion of the wall from the Qalandiya checkpoint to Road 443, a checkpoint was in place. A new Jewish neighborhood is currently planned for the old airport area.
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A-Ram
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two kilometers south of Qalandiya and 300 metres north of Neve Yaacov Junction, in Dahiyat el-Barid Quarter. Checkpoint has operated since 1991, in a Palestinian area annexed to Jerusalem in 1967. The checkpoint has been inactive since the middle of 2009.
The wall was built on the road that led to Jerusalem. Since then the situation in the town has deteriorated. Houses are abandoned and half finished, most of the businesses have closed. Severe neglect around the fence and on the streets. Those who could left. Updated January 2024
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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 FleishmanNov-30-2025Qalandiya: Puddles and dirt after the rain
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Rafat (Bir Nabala)
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Rafat (Bir Nabala) With the completion of the Bir Nabala enclave, which includes also Al Jib, Al Judeira and Beit Hanina al Balad, a checkpoint was put at enclave exit. The passage into the enclave is allowed only to the enclave inhabitants and to Ramallah District people.
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