Morning
A-Ram and Qalandiya Checkpoints, THU AM, 18 Dec 2003.Watchers: V., S.R., M.M. (reporting) At all checkpoints, pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow smoothly, although there are many people. No waiting in queues. The soldiers on duty are relaxed and efficient. Only one man is asked to turn back for not having a permit. Explanation of the Day (per Amit, the officer in command): 1. The detour at the Qalandiya North checkpoint is due to “dinosaur fossils that were found there and are being preserved.” (This is, thus far, the most logical explanation.)2. A repeat of the previous explanation: Allowing passage under the cover would risk endangering the soldiers who stand outside the fence to block people from circumventing the checkpoints, because someone might come around from behind and stab them.There are no plans to add a cover over the detour.
A-Ram
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two kilometers south of Qalandiya and 300 metres north of Neve Yaacov Junction, in Dahiyat el-Barid Quarter. Checkpoint has operated since 1991, in a Palestinian area annexed to Jerusalem in 1967. The checkpoint has been inactive since the middle of 2009.
The wall was built on the road that led to Jerusalem. Since then the situation in the town has deteriorated. Houses are abandoned and half finished, most of the businesses have closed. Severe neglect around the fence and on the streets. Those who could left. Updated January 2024
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