‘Anata, Qalandiya, Thu 14.2.08, Morning
When we arrive we see a teenage boy, his face is
all swollen and so is his arm and he is covered with mud. The other boys tell us
that the army hit him. As we continue to walk a Palestinian tells us that a man
was hit by the guards at the CP. As we get there we see the BP officers, who
apparently just arrived, and told us that he was not there and did not know
about the incident we reported, but seemed quite worried and apparently inquire
about them. The head of the Va'ad meets us and tells us that there was shooting
a few minutes before (two shots were fired,) and the man who was hit was in the
military jeep. When we inquired about him the jeep already took him and drove
away.
The traffic at the CP is very heavy, mainly
children, and the line of the cars is very long. Checking is quite thorough,
there are many BP soldiers and civil security and like last week the checking is
done in two rows. Still, the line moves slowly and the pressure is quire heavy.
We counted three BP officers who came to the spot.
When we turned to find out bout the man who was
hit, a Palestinian told us: "You don't move from here, the moment you move the
traffic will be jammed." The pedestrian traffic was, indeed, flowing. All of sudden two soldiers
started chasing two young guys, but came back when those ran up the hill.
Apparently they threw stones. One of the soldiers made the astute observation
when he said "they don't like us". The civil guard argued with the soldiers that
chasing the stone throwers was not warranted, but was in a minority of one.
We left at about 7.50 , when the traffic dwindled.
8.15 Qalandiya
Many prisoners' families in the waiting area and
many people crowded at the external turnstiles. One man said that he was there
since 6 am. The magnometer at the fifth entrance that broke down last week had
not been replaced, or repaired, yet. While we were there one the turnstiles also
stopped working, perhaps because of the ressure of the people who crowded at the
turnstiles. The lines at the entrances barely moved. The pressure was unusual
for that time of the day.
A young man approached us and said that in
the last two weeks the soldiers find all kind of ways to slow down the checkup.
That was quite evident to-day.
We called the Matak, and Hussam the officer came
out and was very helpful in letting sick people and mothers with babies through
the side line, but there was no relief for the "ordinary" people. The pressure
was lifted on at 9.25.
The prisoners' families had to wait till there
will be no lines and only then let through. This was because the shortage of
magnometers.
Checkpoint Shu'afat camp / Anata-Shu'afat (Jerusalem)
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The Shu’afat checkpoint is located in the northern part of East Jerusalem at the exit from the village of Anata and the Shu’afat refugee camp, which are located in the area annexed to Jerusalem in 1967. The refugee camp borders the Shu’afat neighborhood to the west, Pisgat Ze’ev to the north, the French Hill neighborhood to the south and the planned expansion of Ma’aleh Adumim to E-1 in the east. It was established in 1966 for 1948 refugees from the West Bank and was populated after the Six Day War by persons who had been expelled from the Jewish Quarter. Today its population comprises some 25,000 people holding blue ID cards and some 15,000 people with Palestinian ID cards. The camp lacks adequate infrastructure and services, and suffers from poverty, neglect and overcrowding. All its buildings are connected to the public electricity and water infrastructure, but not all are connected to the sewer system. The camp’s services are provided by UNRWA, except for those such as health clinics and transportation of pupils to schools in Jerusalem. In 2005, the Israeli High Court of Justice rejected a suit by the residents requesting that the route of the separation fence be drawn such that the camp would remain on the Israeli side, but conditioned its approval of the route on the establishment of a convenient and rapid crossing facility for the inhabitants of the neighborhood, most of whom are residents of Jerusalem.
A temporary checkpoint operated there until December, 2011. It was extremely congested during rush hours, and dangerous for pedestrians (especially children) because of inadequate safety provisions. The new checkpoint was inaugurated south of the old one, for public and private transportation and for pedestrians, intended solely for the residents of the camp – holders of blue ID cards, and those with Palestinian ID cards who possess appropriate permits. There are five vehicle inspection stations at the checkpoint, and two for pedestrians (one of which is currently closed) where scanners have been installed but are not yet operating. According to the army, representatives of government agencies will also be present to provide services to residents of the neighbourhood. The pedestrian lanes are very long, located far from the small parking lots, and accessible through only a single revolving gate.
Anat TuegFeb-14-2008Anata: new traffic circle at the exit junction
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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 FleishmanApr-16-2025Qalandiya: summer fruit
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