Jaba (Lil), Qalandiya, Sun 8.1.12, Afternoon
Translation: Ruth Fleishman
Qalandiya:
At the deserted territory over which no authority takes responsibility, the place which is a 'no man's land", that according to the maps belongs to the city of Jerusalem that holds the duty to provide services such as the evacuation of garbage which is just one example, piles of trash were set fire to near the wall that surrounds the checkpoint, for this is the only option that the residents of the refugee camp have for getting rid of this sanitary hazard that accumulates into mountains of garbage.
The claim made by the workers of the municipality that they avoid the place for fear of violence and attacks, are unconvincing in light of the raids performed by the inspectors on the poverty stricken paddlers, hunting down children as well as men, events which occur every day in that very same place
.
On the wall, in black and blue was a greeting from Berlin:
"Freedom, Peace & Justice for Palestine! Tabea from Berlin". And between the hundreds of vehicles stuck in endless traffic jam, that tail of which could not be seen, the child Muhamad was selling lupines packed in nylon bags tied in a rubber band.
Jaba checkpoint:
Lately (so say the cab drivers), soldiers have been reinforcing the policemen who prevent those coming out of Ramallah/Qalandiya from driving freely on road 60 on their way to Hizmee checkpoint. Apparently, there is need for combined forces for this assignment which is in service of the settlers
.
Four Palestinian detainees stood by the checkpoint, watching the dog and its trainer walk towards their car, inside and around which the dog received its training. Once the pair from the Oketz unit were finished and the owner of the Palestinian car that "hosted" the dog (which according to Islam defiles everything it comes in contact with), did as Palestinians do after decades of years under occupation, each time they are released without harm, and shouted loudly towards the soldier that returned his keys to him: "Thank you so much!".
Jaba' (Lil)
See all reports for this place-
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)
-
Qalandiya Checkpoint / Atarot Pass (Jerusalem)
See all reports for this place-
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
-