Ar-Ram, Qalandiya, Thu 24.7.08, Morning
6:30am Anata – Traffic
moved in a reasonable pace.
7:00am Aram –
One car only, no pedestrians, no traffic, no detainees.
7:25am Qalandia
The lines to enter were as
far back as the entrance into the waiting area'. People said they had been
waiting since 5:30am and that they opened late. The humanitarian gate
opened every 20 minutes. Once people got in,
going into be checked took about 10 minutes. The lines were clear by
8:25am.
Eight men had come for
their permits to enter Israel. They all work in Givat Zeev.
Yesterday, July 23rd. They and twelve others were on a bus that got
lost and was stopped between Bir Naballah and the A-Ram CP. The police had taken
their permits and had promised to return them to Qalandia by 3:00pm of the same
day. They came and the permits were not there. They were told they would be
there this morning. Since the Matak was still closed they truned to us for help.
We called the head of Matak, who knew about
the incident and said they would have to be issued new permits, but on Silvia'
advice we the Moked Humanitarian office and were referred to Hamal Matak.
Instead, we talked with Gal, the spokesman to the Minhal Ezrachi, who was
responsive, took the ID's numbers of the eight people who had come this morning
and called back about 20 minutes later confirmed that all the permits are with
the Minhal Ezrachi, the workers had to be in touch with their employers who will
get back the permits (or not) pending on the results of the investigations.
One
very distressed young man who works in Givat Zeev, lost
his permit on the job site and
didn't have his bosses number to check the area. He needed to speak to someone
in the Matak, which is supposed to open at 8:30am. Mili called them at 8:45am.
They said they were about to open. They did a few minutes later.
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 FleishmanNov-30-2025Qalandiya: Puddles and dirt after the rain
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