‘Atara, Hizma, Qalandiya, Sun 26.9.10, Afternoon
On the eve of the end of the "Settlement Freeze" and perhaps of negotiations with the Palestinians…..
15:15, Qalandiya: Borders with the West Bank have been shut for the Sukkoth holiday. Passage through the checkpoints is only possible for bearers of blue ID cards (citizens and residents of Israel) and Palestinians of recognized "family unification" status. There were very few people at Qalandiya in the afternoon. The peddlers near the northern shed told us that there had been very few people all that day. Only two passageways were active. In the "aquarium" between passageways 4 and 5, a lone female soldier was dealing with applicants to the DCO (of whom there were none at the time).
By 15:30 the flow of people coming from the direction of Ramallah to Jerusalem began to increase and the lines in the two active passageways began to grow longer. I phoned headquarter and they apparently arranged for the opening of another passageway, No. 4.
The three of us got in line to cross the CP. Liat was first to enter the examination area and, when she presented her ID to the soldier, he refused to let her through and began shouting at her that she had been in Area A (the area controlled by the PA and out of bounds for Israeli's) which was, of course, untrue. Only when Tamar arrived and explained to the soldier what we had done (pointing out that he had no conception of the map of the area), did he relent and open the passageway.
We left Qalandiya at about 16:30 and drove down Highway 60 to see what was happening in the territories. On our way to Atara CP we saw no unusual activity or preparations – there was no heavy machinery on the roads. The soldiers at the CP descended from their pillbox to warn us not to take pictures (even though photography is permitted by the IDF). They told us that they had been in their outpost (at the northern exit from Ramallah/Beir Zeit) for 4 days and would shortly be relieved. They also told us that they only set up a road block in cases of terror warnings (which isn't always the case).
From Atara we drove back to Adam/Sha'ar Benyamin (an Israeli settlement). We drove around the settlement for about 20 minutes, but it was pretty late and people were no longer at work so we saw no building underway and no preparations either.
We returned to Jerusalem via Hizmeh CP.
'Atara
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'Atara Checkpoint
Situated at the northern entrance to Ramallah from Route 465, called also Bir Zeit Checkpoint. Nowadays only remains of what used to be a busy checkpoint remain, a pillbox and concrete blocks.
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Hizma
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Hizma
A checkpoint at the north-eastern entrance to the Jerusalem area which was annexed in 1967, at Pisgat Zeev. The passage is allowed to bearers of blue IDs only. Open 24 hours a day.
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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 FleishmanJun-25-2025Qalandia: West Bank man injured in both legs
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