‘Anata, Qalandiya, Thu 27.3.08, Morning
6.45
a.m.
Anata – Although as we arrived at the
traffic lights, the traffic looked heavy, the two lanes of cars were moving
relatively smoothly, with spot-checking of car trunks. By the way, one friendly border
policeman told us that on Thursdays the traffic is always heavier because more
people use private cars so as to work a long day before the weekend. Has anyone noticed
this? As we
arrived we saw a policeman with a dog but did not see the dog being used for
checking. A
number of cars came up the steep side road so as to avoid the long queue of the
machsom. Usually this road is
blocked but for some reason was open today and a number of drivers managed to
persuade the soldiers to check their id’s and let them through, before the
commanding officer had a barrier placed.
One young driver was actually detained because the soldiers said he had
sworn at them and the situation threatened to get quite ugly, but ultimately he
and his passengers were allowed to go. The captain told us that the drivers knew
that this road was closed except for people living locally (but murmured that he
understood their trying to take a short cut). We pointed out that it would be
less frustrating if the barrier were put at the bottom of the hill. According to
the soldiers there is a barrier at the bottom of the steep road but the locals
push this aside.There
were fewer than usual schoolchildren because of school
holidays.
8
a.m.
Qalandiya– We
were amazed to find NO line at the carousels ! Could this be thanks to the same
policeman who, we found two or three weeks ago managed the process so
efficiently? There
was a very large group of prisoners’ families who passed through just at this
time, using a couple of gates.On the
other hand, the Matak experience
was less encouraging. After a
number of unavailing phone calls on our part, it finally opened at 9:10
am. There
were at least 20 people waiting by this time, one of them on crutches. (There really should be some seating
provided at each gate. Benches would be an
easy solution !) They
were directed to gate 4 – leaving the people waiting for the post office
confused as to where they should be.
When we managed to catch the attention of the breakfasting (?) soldiers
in the Matak office, they told these people to join the line in gate
4. The
soldier in the outside office managing the carousels (having no work to do)
seemed to be absorbed in a computer game for the entire time we were there. When we did manage to make eye contact
with her at one point so as to ask for help, she totally ignored
us.
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 TuegMar-27-2008Anata: 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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