‘Atara, Qalandiya, Wed 9.5.12, Afternoon
Translator: Charles K.
16:00 The discriminatory signage at the turn to Atara: Halamish – Tel Aviv, Talmon – Ateret , whatever doesn’t belong to us doesn’t exist, and I can’t get used to it!!!
And right at the exit from Highway 6 – the “Ein Ner” spring. Apparently another spring has been expropriated
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Vegetables and caged birds at the turn to the Dothan checkpoint.
The checkpoint isn’t operating, there’s not even a flag flying from the pillbox and no one emerges to chase us away.
Heavy traffic of all kinds of vehicles, their passengers waving to us happily.
The bird seller doesn’t speak Hebrew. The vegetable seller says that a police officer comes, loads up a generous quantity of fruits and vegetables, without paying, and returns again the following day
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On our way back, the entrance opposite Ofra to the villages of Silwad and Bitin is open to Highway 60. Last time the yellow bar had still blocked the way up and all traffic drove on the detour, the lower road. We drove around the village briefly and exited toward Qalandiya.
17:30 A big traffic jam along the wall from Qalandiya to Jerusalem. The southern plaza is very congested, everyone’s blowing horns at each other. The booth at the entrance to the vehicle crossing is manned, and a police officer on duty also directs traffic
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17:34 Two pens are operating, full of people; three fenced corridors within aren’t very crowded. People are directed to the corridors like cows on their way to milking…
Two vehicles in the parking lot have been turned into cafes where the taxi drivers pass the time.
Traffic to the north flows freely; the gate in the A-Ram wall is open, relieving the congestion. It’s not clear why, but a long time ago we stopped trying to understand the logic of how this place operates.
17:52
Each of us in her own pen came out after about 5 minutes.
17:57 Three fenced corridors are open, about 15-25 people waiting on line in each. They’re let through in threes – order must be maintained.
18:18 We exited.
On our way to the car we saw the gate was open to the security road along the wall.
Border Police soldiers are deployed in the Sheikh Jarrah area. Today is Lag B’Omer, a festival for the Jews.
'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 FleishmanJun-8-2025Qalandiya: Emptiness in public space
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