‘Atara, Qalandiya, Sun 24.3.13, Afternoon
Translating: Ruth Fleishman
Qalandiya: 
Unconscious, inside an intensive care kit, a baby of four hours arrived at the checkpoint with a Red Crescent ambulance. The medical crew that moved him into the Red Cross ambulance said that he was being taken to Mukased hospital for emergent hart surgery.
The baby was taken from his mother the moment he was born, and she, who had yet to heal from the birth, didn't escort him. It was probably his grandmother who in sadness and fear sat in the ambulance.
When every passing minute, when any minute might seal the baby's fate to life or death, can such hate crimes still be excused with the coin phrased euphemism "proportionally"? – The source of his word is a high court verdict from years ago, and it had since not been checked and updated as it is set in stone. And even though agreements between the Palestinian Authority and the Red Star of David (also from year ago) state that in emergent incidents ambulances from the West Bank would be permitted to pass and arrive at hospitals in east Jerusalem, this has been prevented arbitrarily and while forsaking and endangering the lives of others.
In the meanwhile, two other ambulances passed, and inside one of them was a person injured in a car accident who received primary treatment in Ramallah and was in need of additional treatment which the hospitals at the West Bank could provide for him, due to their lack of advance equipment.
And during those afternoon hours, in the vicinity and separately, three teams of BP officers were hunting down humans who had dared to cross without an official permit signed by the authorities: they arrested laborers returning from a day of work, compered their names on their IDs with the ones on their "Tasrih", made sure that it was still valid, pulled over vehicles, inspected busses and came out with a respectable loot in the form of (only) one, not young, man who was placed inside a police car and taken away. "They are probably taking him to the Kalabush", said a lad passing by.
Atara/ Bir Zeit
A new unit flag was hanging from the top of the tower. By it, in the middle of the road, stood the soldiers of the new unit, they were full of faith and motivation, they pulled over vehicles, checked the identity of the drivers, inspected the trunks, exposed merchandise that was being transferred on trucks and vans, and mainly disturbed the traffic at the time when people were making their way back home.
When asked what they were doing, the commander replied: "routine inspection of cars" and explained: "they (the Palestinians) transport all sort of things in their cars".
'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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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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