Ni’lin (Qiryat Sefer), Qalandiya, Wed 12.5.10, Afternoon
Qalandia – Road 443, Wednesday PM 12.5.2010
14:30-18:00
Following the High Court order to open the road to Palestinian traffic and articles in the press about the limitations the army will impose, we went to have a closer look.
We started at he Ofer Passage where according to the newspaper a new CP will be installed which will prevent the entrance to Jerusalem and to Ramalla. Just as we arrived a convoy with the Spanish foreign minister passed on its way from the West Bank into Israel. A few Israeli trucks stood in line for the commercial passage and their drivers went with their documents to a girl soldier one after the other and continued a few minutes later to the loading zone where the Palestinian trucks were awaiting them. We asked a polite security guard re the new CP and he answered that he had no clue.
But as soon as we reached the main road we saw the familiar sight of enormous digging works whenever the wall or new CP's are erected. .
At least ten heavy monsters were digging and moving earth in top speed. Along the road on both sides are two-tiered fences with coiled barbed wire on top. Nobody will be able to enter Road 443 except on those stretches, which are permitted. We continued along the road. Across from the Maccabim CP the concrete slabs which closed the traffic from the West Bank have been removed. Here too work is in progress, but it is not clear exactly what kind of work. We turned right at the Shilat junction and passed Modi'in Illith, which grows in all directions, also very much in height and we continued till Na'aleh. The settlement is flourishing and has fantastic views. It is located exactly in the middle between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the perfect residential area if it hadn't been built in sin.
On our way back we stopped at the construction site of the new CP, which carries the name of ‘Institutionalization of the Kiryat Sefer Passage'. A huge tract which looks like an airfield has been flattened, it's not clear for what. Many Palestinian workers arrived and hurried to the fenced-in passage, which serves their return. A rather long queue ensued and we wanted to get closer, but a soldier came up to our car and informed us that we were not allowed to park near the CP, which is a closed military zone. The soldier didn't tell us his name, but told us the belonged to a unit of the armored forces – a fitting job….
Ni'lin (Qiryat Sefer)
See all reports for this placeQalandiya 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 FleishmanMay-31-2026Qalandiya. Human remains or clothing remains
-