‘Atara, Jaba (Lil), Qalandiya, Sun 12.9.10, Afternoon
Qalandiya checkpoint:
The end of the Id-El-Fiter. Hundreds of people were standing in front and inside the checkpoint, they were on their way to visit their families on the other side of the wall that had severed the fabric of the lives of tens of thousands of people by separating them from each other, but that wasn't able to make them forget the objects of their love and their dear ones.
Their festive and meticulous dress was in great contrast with the constant neglect and filth of the checkpoint
A young man who was sent away in shame told us that up until six months ago he had been employed in Israel. One morning, while he was on his way to work, his permit had been confiscated with no explanation and ever since he had been refused passage by the GSS. "I'm clean… I never had any problems…" 
As of that day, like Josef K. ("The Trail"/ F. Kafka) who had been accused of something without being told what was his guilt and who's all attempts to reach the authorities and clear his name had failed, this man had been asking for answers, arriving at the offices of the authorities "Just so they tell me why…".
In his desperation he had arrived on his festive day and stood before a soldier, who was hidden inside the checkpoint post, perhaps she would tell him: "Why I am refused passage?"
-How might a person who doesn't know what his sin was, defend himself?
Jaba checkpoint:
The checkpoint commander used every trick in the book to prevent us from standing in front of the soldiers' post. He used the claims that it presented a security risk to us, that we were distracting his soldiers, he stated that it was a military zone as well as telling us: "You are not allowed to stand here!"
We showed him the permit which allows us to stay at the IDF checkpoints and take photos, he read it thoroughly and eventually said it was invalid because the name of the organization I had claimed to be part of, wasn't specified on the paper, and I didn't have any official document to prove that I was part of that organization.
Ruth and Lene (my guests) received a more positive reaction; the commander told them with great enthusiasm about the importance of preventing the passage of Jews to dangerous places like Qalandiya.
Atara/ Bir Zeit checkpoint:
We arrived at the checkpoint hoping to learn why the it had been closed on 6/9/10. The mission was easier than had been expected. We met three of the tower residents; they were playing with a donkey as a herd of sheep was lying on the ground beside them (the attached pictures). They were happy to see us as though we were about to relieve them of their boredom.
About what had happened on the previous Monday: "You know, you don't take any risks when there are security warnings. They need to be checked…" so said a soldier that had taken part in that operation. "We don't do these things because we had decided on it. It comes from above…", and they inspected, they stopped the traffic and searched for whatever they were told to look for in those vehicles- "It took several hours, but that's the kind of operations that save your (my?) life even though you love them, those terrorists, and come to help them…". They didn't find the explanation that I wasn't there to help and that I don't support "those terrorists, convincing; and the information that this checkpoint, as well as others, wasn't placed at the entrance to the State of Israel and that there was a difference between the boundaries of "Israel' and those of "the State of Israel", didn't sink in.
The three of them said: "This over here is the State of Israel!".
'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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Jaba' (Lil)
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Jaba' (Lil) In fact, the Jaba checkpoint is east of the Qalandiya checkpoint. Its declared purpose is the prevention of Israeli citizens from entering Area A. A road checkpoint for vehicles, located on Road 65, borders the southern fence of Kfar Jaba, about three kilometers east of the Qalandiya checkpoint, on the road leading to the settlement of Adam on Road 60. Archaeological excavations within the village found the remains of a cloth house from the First Temple period. The events that led to the construction of the checkpoint are precisely here: on the day of the abduction of Gilad Shalit and before the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War, a 17-year-old man from one of the settlements was abducted by a Palestinian cell. His body was found several days later at the entrances to Ramallah. A military investigation revealed that his abductors had taken him along this route. The checkpoint was set up to prevent future kidnappings and to warn settlers from traveling to Ramallah and entering Area A (which is forbidden for Israelis). The checkpoint that operates around the clock. Usually only vehicles traveling in the direction of Ramallah are inspected. (November 2016): Every morning, when the settlers en masse travel to Jerusalem on Route 60 and every afternoon they return from Jerusalem on Route 60, the army initiates a traffic jam at the entrance to the Jaba checkpoint and stops the movement of Palestinians traveling toward Route 60. (February 2020): In the last two years the checkpoint has not always been manned. Sometimes the soldiers come and just stand, sometimes they come and stop and check those who enter the village, sometimes they patrol the alleys of the village, sometimes they fire stun grenades and gas and sometimes they invade houses and stop young people, say those passing through the Hazma checkpoint. (Updated February 2020)
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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 FleishmanFeb-27-2026Qalandiya: On the way to prayer
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