Jaba (Lil), Qalandiya, Sun 24.7.11, Afternoon
Translating: Ruth Fleishman
Qalandiya:
The special and festive addition of "El-Quds" newspaper, which publicized all the names of those who had successfully completed their Bagrut tests, had managed to make a change in the usual dreary and despairing atmosphere haunting the place. On the first page, the names of those who had excelled were highlighted, and on the inner sections were columns on top of columns of names, printed on many pages. People stopped, bought a paper, traced the columns with their fingers and once finding the names they had been looking for, a smile of content appeared on their faces. The sounds of blasting fireworks blew in with the wind from Ramallah and other towns that are close by, telling us of celebrations at schools. The dusty and murky air mixed with a small portion of hope for the next generation.
El Jib checkpoint:
Masses of men, women and children passed through the checkpoint, heading back home after a day of work. Only one man was heading on the opposite direction: he approached the window which was set higher than him, and while placing his ID on the thick and dark glass, he shouted to the solider behind it: "It's me, it's me the Bedouin…"a side door opened, the man vanished in the room and later was seen on the other side, on the road leading south to the settlements "New Givon" and "Giv'at Ze'ev".
All El-Jib residents, men and women, are an ordinal number printed in a binder that is stored at the checkpoint, only with their names and numbers (and of course a permit indicating they are Kosher) are they permitted to pass the checkpoint each morning to the lots that had been stolen from them, where the build houses for the new lords of their land and serve them.
Three forces manned the checkpoint: soldiers from the passage unit, civilian security guards and BP officers.
Unis, the owner of an out of order transit that had been converted into a diner, told us that in the mornings the line of people lingers up to about a hundred meters from the front of the checkpoint and the inspecting soldiers work very slowly, checking everyone, they have time, they are not in a hurry.
Unis also said that: "There are people work here, just after the fence, they live in the area but they are not on the list so they are not permitted to pass, they are told to drive to Qalandiya checkpoint…".
Jaba checkpoint:
In front the checkpoint a civil car that was driven by a soldier was parked. A soldier from the Oketz unit came out of it, she had the strap of her rifle across her chest and the leash of the dog, who had a muzzle on his face, in her hand. The two crossed the road and approached the soldiers' post. We stood in front of them and waited. The soldiers noticed us and called someone (they were probably asking for instructions).
This time, unlike their past encounters with us, they didn't protest or try to stop us or prevent us from taking photos, they just stood in front of us, waiting and waiting and then waiting some more. It was as though they were mirroring us from the other side. The usual routines of detecting Jews so as to prevent them from heading on, and of detaining one or two vehicles, caused traffic to slow and a line of cars had formed and reached Adam square.
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 FleishmanMay-31-2026Qalandiya. Human remains or clothing remains
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