Al Jib (Givat Zeev), Qalandiya
Spot Check at Qalandiya and Jib
Based on various reports that people are arriving at the Qalandiya Checkpoint later than before (because they expect not to waste time on line due to the improved technologies at the new checkpoint), we arrived only at 6:30. Because the free parking lot was full at this hour, we parked in the pay lot, where we were warmly welcomed. From there we proceeded to the new checkpoint (the first visit for Virginia), spent a few minutes with the begele seller (the only “food stand” present at that hour), and then did a introductory tour, first outside – where we discovered that the bathrooms are the familiar ones located inside the old checkpoint – and then inside. The process inside went quickly through the usual stages of the security check (backpack and handbag scan, metal detector, document check). At the end of the process we remained inside the security-check hall to monitor especially the electronic-recognition process up close. This time a Civil Administration officer and security guard were also present in the hall to direct people and answer questions. Two of the four checking stations were manned by soldiers to check the documents of people whose biometric identity cards failed to work or who were not equipped with such cards. For the most part the new system operated smoothly, and when there was an occasional problem with a biometric card, it was solved quickly by the soldiers in the adjoining booth.
We continued from there to the Jib checkpoint, whence reports had come of serious problems. We did not pass onto the Palestinian side (in Area B) because we did not want to risk being delayed there for long by the checkpoint commander (as happened to our colleagues the last time they visited this checkpoint) on a day when we had to be at work on time. But we spoke with the few people who passed through the checkpoint between 7:30 and close to 8:00. The first did not stop to speak with us but shouted, as he passed hurriedly by, that the checkpoint functioned very badly. Unfortunately we were not able to get details out of him. A bit afterward three young men came out and actually contradicted the earlier man, insisting that the checkpoint functioned properly and that they did not encounter any problems at all. We thought that perhaps we had arrived after the “peak” of rush-hour by the pedestrians — who are limited to Palestinians working in the adjoining settlement of Givat Ze’ev. But when we questioned a street cleaner working near us, he said that the “peak” was actually between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m., which sounds logical given that the permits of those passing through Jib are for work solely in this settlement.
At all events, we were surprised by the small number of people who were passing through the checkpoint at this hour and decided to return at an earlier hour next time and to pass over to the Palestinian side. Only after getting a clearer picture there would we move on to a spot check at Qalandia. And next time, just in case, the visitors to Jib will be volunteers who are not bound by the need to arrive at work on time.
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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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 FleishmanJun-25-2025Qalandia: West Bank man injured in both legs
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