Ar-Ram, Bir Nabala, Jaba (Lil), Qalandiya, Sun 9.3.08, Afternoon

Place:

Qalandiya

Ar-Ram

Rafat (Bir Nabala)

Jaba (Lil)

Tags:

Observers:

Roni H, Norah O, Elit R, Tamar F (reporting)

Mar-9-2008

Afternoon

includes the story of the terrorist woman caught with a knife / the general closure info-icon

in the territories extended by one day meanwhile, but as we know the long arm is always ready...

Roni, who called the Humanitarian Centre to ask if the closure continues, was answered by the telephonist that she does not know why, how much, and what is closure. Only another call and another young woman produced an answer: "Residents of the Territories are forbidden entry into Israel." This collective punishment creates an image of business as usual and everything is okay. Under the surface, the reality is different: as though a heavy boot is treading and pressing more and more on the heads of people sunk up to the neck in the hardships of the reality, and as if there is insufficient air to breathe. It is only a matter of time till all this will surface, arise and explode.

Ar-Ram Checkpoint
15:15 the lane leading in to Ar-Ram has been narrowed. Many Border Police and personnel of Modiin Ezrahi Security Company Are manning the checkpoint and are a stark contrast to the non-presence of Palestinians.

Qalandiya Checkpoint
15:25 the pedestrian checkpoint is almost completely deserted. Two checking stations were open all the time we were there. Three new cameras installed high above the

lanes leading to checking stations and turned towards the northern side of the checkpoint, to the first turnstiles. When we sought to pass the Government Center at 15:32, a woman soldier on Lane 5 told us that the Centre is locked at 15:30 precisely, and in any case there is an order from Abuhatzeira that we can come there only with his approval. We wanted to go to the DCO plaza, and this particular soldier had not yet heard of prohibition on going there, so the gate opened. But there was no one to meet there, so we exited to the vehicle checkpoint.

15:40 � at the vehicle checkpoint, the checks are done very slowly, so noticeable that the passengers descending from the vehicles to pass the pedestrian checkpoint

emerged (unusually) ahead of the cars and minibuses and were compelled to wait for them. A civilian dog minder and dog from time to time broke away from their amusements and acrobatic exercises to check the baggage compartments. We left at 16:30.

An acquaintance with a shop in the refugee camp told us about the harsh happenings there on the recent Fridays. Do our shifts go to Qalandia on that day?

From a distance we saw thin traffic at Atarot Checkpoint.

Story of the Terrorist Woman Caught on Saturday As told to us by one of the functionaries at the checkpoint (my comments in the text of the story):

The young woman, with a Territories ID but no permit (on a day of closure a permit to cross is of no significance) arrived at the pedestrian checkpoint (the army version was important to hear, because had it been the vehicle checkpoint, there could possibly have been physical contact between her and the soldiers or police. Such a contact is not possible at the pedestrian checkpoint!). The woman soldier on duty sent her back. An hour later she returned. The soldier remembered her and told her to go back the way she came.. The girl insisted on passing. The metal detector began to chirp. The soldier asked why, and the Palestinian said there is nothing. The woman soldier noticed that, despite the heat, the Palestinian was wearing a long sleeved garment (as though a Palestinian dressed from head to foot is an unusual or suspicious affair). The soldier called security, the knife was found in her sleeve, and the rest was on the media.

Bir Nabala Checkpoint
17:05 a line of 15 cars was waiting at the checkpoint. Border Police were running the checks, and apart from them a large group of soldiers were stationed on the hill by the pillbox. They hastened to Roni and Elit, who were the first at the checkpoint, to clarify who we were. A woman soldier said she was in the regular army and had never encountered MachsomWatch. They all praised the checkpoint, and Roni learned that it is the checkpoint that allows her son to lead a quiet life.

Bir Nabala Checkpoint is not graced by visiting and interested eyes. Our shifts only get there rarely, and even photos don`t convey the scope of the harm done each day and every minute to the individual and his vehicle, and even the landscape is of "blossoming" plastic bags instead of the blooms of Spring: to the obstacles that the driver must overcome on his way to the checkpoint have been sharp edged road margins deepened following the rfains. All this caused a driver to open his window and voice protest. A Border Policeman from the other side of the road responded: "It`s all ahla, ahla."

17:35 � as we left, Norah counted 40 cars in front of the checkpoint.

Lil/Jaba Checkpoint
18:00 � thin traffic, random checks of passengers in Transits. [L]

Location Description

Jaba (Lil)

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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

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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)

Apr-5-2024

Tamar Fleishman

Qalandiya: Four women from Nablus are refused crossing the checkpoint to pray

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Ar-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