‘Anata-Shu’afat, Qalandiya
Particularly calm in Qalandiya, less so in Shuafat
On passing through to the Palestinian side at 5.30, we were pleased to see that there were almost no queues.
All five checking stations were open and the turnstile in the first lane was left open. and everyone arriving entered directly.
Both the beigel seller and the tea seller in his kiosk, were once again present, after the Ramadan break.
We went outside to show our visitor a view of the refugee camp and the traffic in front of the car checkpoint. When we returned, a policeman had joined the soldier controlling the turnstiles, in her cubicle.
Women used the regular line instead of waiting for the humanitarian gate to open.
We decided to take our visitor to Shuafat (Anata).First crossing back by foot to the Israeli side where we had parked, we drove through the checkpoint to the Palestinian side, and drove past A-Ram and Hizme towards Jerusalem via Pisgat Zeev. Because of the summer vacation ,there was little traffic.
We parked near Anata checkpoint. Our visitor photographed the wall both from the outside and then inside when we entered.
Refuse is piled up all over. Because of the school vacation the parking lot where school buses usually collect schoolchildren, is empty and locked. On the other hand, the car traffic is heavy with irritable drivers We continued a bit inside for our visitor to see conditions. On the way out we met the indefatigable Jamil Sanduka. Even without the schoolchildren, he is present, with another man.
At about 7 o’clock we approached the pedestrian checkpoint. There were only a few people. At first it looked as if two stations were open – an exceedingly rare occurrence – and that the second station where there is not an x-ray machine was open for people without packages . But it soon transpired that this was closed and the few people who had been waiting there joined our line. Here we were admitted through the turnstile one by one. As we were only a few people, this was not the usual slow process. As we left, we wanted to show our visitor the car checkpoint from close, but the Border Police waved us on.
As we had ended our shift so early, we took our visitor to see the view from Mount Scopus, looking east towards Issawiya and the Shuafat refugee camp that we had come from, and west towards the Old City and West Jerusalem.
Later we heard that that same morning there had been an ‘incident’ at Shuafat checkpoint, which ended with a Palestinian being “neutralized” (still alive, according to the report.).
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 TuegJan-25-2026Anata: A new outpost has been built south of the 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 FleishmanJul-21-2026Qalandiya. Conversation in the shadow of the wall
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