Ar-Ram, Qalandiya, Rafat (Bir Nabala), Tue 22.7.08, Afternoon
Guests: Sebastian (the local representative of a radio station from Berlin), prop. Yossi Yona, Nidal (translator)
In face of the bad roads at Ar-Ram and the one leading to Rafat, which are under the authority of the Israeli government, we heard prop. Yona's theory about the differences between the ARABIAN TIME and the JEWISH TIME, which according to him are perceptible in roads all around the country: after all, Arabs, as apposed to Jews who decide which roads to pave or improve, have all the time in the world, they aren't really in a hurry to get somewhere and they don't really need good roads, we on the other had do need them as our time is pressing.
Ar-Ram checkpoint:
15:20- A crowded line of about a hundred cars were standing to the length and wide of the road leading to the checkpoint, the beginning of the time was by the junction. The BP soldiers with the help of the soldiers for the passage unit which is part of the military police, and some civil police men, were conducting strict inspections on the cars and people entering the checkpoint. We received to answers to the when asking about the change in the procedure:
- The guard: "Because we feel like it".
- The BP soldier: "It doesn't really matter to you".
But it did matter to me so I asked at the garage near by when had these strict inspections begin, the answer together with what had occurred on the day brought me to the conclusion that it was because of the terrorist attack in Jerusalem.
Qalandia Checkpoint:
16:00- We hurried and passed towards the vehicle checkpoint because of an ambulance that had arrived from the OT, the paramedics had begun transferring an old women with cancer, with the back to back system, on to the Red Crescent ambulance. We knew the paramedic the came from the OT and he told us that the soldiers "caused him some problems" as he said, they told him to go back under the false pretext that he can't be at the checkpoint until the other ambulance arrived. But he stood insisted that it was his right to wait at the checkpoint and refused to return.
– At the waiting shed before the entrance to the checkpoint, a woman accompanied by her five children approached Ronny, the woman had and ID from the OT (her husband is as they say on the street a "blue"), she had a permit called "Family Unity Permit", but for some reason they wouldn't let her pass, they wouldn't explain why. Ronny managed to get hold of the DCO officer who had explained that she had to go the Palestinian DCO, and after they sign the permit to prove her situation, the Israeli DCO would prolong her permit.
We weren't familiar with this procedure and nor where the Palestinians. Is this a new addition to the bureaucracy, another obstacle standing in the way of Palestinians who need a permit? – We will try to find out and report on it.
– We saw parents with their baby daughter trying to press the intercom so the "humanitarian" gate would open, but nothing happened. After several minutes, tired of trying, the baby was taken out of the stroller and as the father was closing the stroller the gate opened. But others who were waiting in front of the forth turnstile hurried and followed the father into the inspection zoon. The soldier at the post couldn't bear such behavior, and she started rebuking those people while shouting through the microphone that they had to step outside and stand according to the orders. No one hurried to fulfill her orders and we could hear her argument with one person who had had enough of her trying to educate him, and talked back to her. But as usual the one with the power won: they got outside and stood in a line straight outside of the turnstile, just as the sovereign ordered.
Rafat Checkpoint:
18:30- Soldiers from the engineering unit manned the checkpoint, they were filling in for the BP unit. The soldiers didn't understand when we asked whether there was a segregation, they didn't even know what a segregation was, and from talking to them it was clear that they didn't really know where they were, what was in front of them or behind them, on which territory they were in charge and for what reason. But the spirit of the unit had already been immortalized by the writing on the rocks posed on the hill by the checkpoint.
Qalandia village: The village Muktar was happy to speak to our German guest and have a recorded interview. He spoke of the hardship of the villagers, how difficult it was to get to work because the village was surrounded by the fence, about how he had been waiting for a year and a half now for a verdict in his case and he even spoke highly about "Machsom Watch" and emphasized that we escorted him to his trial and gave a testimony on the behalf of the villagers, and he also talked about the impressive film Netta Efroni made and presented before the judge.
Hizmee Checkpoint:19:30- A long line of people who wanted to enter the OT, it was probably because of the attack, just as it was in Ar-Ram.
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 FleishmanMay-13-2025Qalandiya: Back-to-back procedure for transferring patients
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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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