‘Atara, Jaba (Lil), Qalandiya, Sun 14.6.09, Afternoon
Now is the season for kits and Baladi apricots
Qalandiya Checkpoint
15:30- Many vehicles were driving through at the front of the vehicle checkpoint: there were three vehicles lines that become one line. They were all stuck in a traffic jam around the and on the square.
-A new sign greeted those entering, it notified that it is obligatory that those returning back to the West Bank after one day, to write their name down on the list. We were told that the new machines were still being tested, and that when they do start using them, it will make things even harder on the Palestinians, there will be lines by the machines and the waiting time will grow longer.
At the pedestrians checkpoint three inspection posts were open, even though there were many soldiers hanging around the sterile zone. The pace was slow and the attitude towards the Palestinians was degrading:
Inside the checkpoint where we waiting, the soldier spoke to the Palestinians with very bad Arabic. When they didn't understand her orders and didn't respond to them, she got angry and started yelling at them in Hebrew. From time to time, as she was chewing the gum in her mouth, she held a sing along. The mixture of languages which she used to hand out orders, yell and sing, filled the checkpoint.
And what about the Palestinians? – They kept going as they always do: indifferent and patient.
Jaba/Leel checkpoint:
The reserve sodleirs that manned the checkpoint stuck to their orders and stopped every vehicle that had yellow plats in order to check the nationality of those in it.
(as mentioned in the previous report: Israelis/Jews are prohibited from driving on to the west according to the decree from 2006 that Yair Nave had issued).
We headed on to see the checkpoints that had been removed:
Rimonim checkpoint:
From road number 60 in the direction of the settlement "Ma'ale Mihmash" and it's surrounding settlements, we hopped to find relics of checkpoint that once was there:
The road was indeed open, no one was detained or inspected. The "New Jersey" parts that were used to construct a blockage were moved aside, leftovers from IDF food was scattered on the side of the road together with a copy of the journal "Bamachane".
Once the construction of the checkpoint remained, and on it an Israeli flag was waving.
But once the camera was pointing towards the pillbox we found there were signs of life: a hand came out of the window and then a man's voice was heard: "Oh no- put that camera down!"
Atara/ Bir Zait checkpoint
The military presence was more noticeable and we didn't have to raise our head to the top of the tower to see them: in between the walls of the construction a military vehicle was hiding and soldiers were looking out at us from a crack between the vehicle and the wall.
The Palestinians waved at us, they made a V sign with their fingers and yelled to us with joy at they seized the open road for a more speedy driving.
We waved back at them, knowing (and they probably knew this as well) that this good fortune is only temporary.
Is there a checkpoint? – Is there no checkpoint? – For how long with this "no checkpoint" remain?
'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 FleishmanJun-8-2025Qalandiya: Emptiness in public space
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