The a-Za'im checkpoint is located on Road 1 near the village of a-Za'im, in the section of the road between Ma'ale Adumim and Jerusalem in the area called E1.
It is adjacent to the separation wall. Only Israeli and Palestinian citizens living in East Jerusalem are allowed to pass through. Vehicles of West Bank residents with entry permits to Israel and public transportation in East Jerusalem are not allowed to pass through this checkpoint. They are obliged to pass only through the Qalandiya checkpoint in north Jerusalem.
Until the construction of the checkpoint, the villagers could enter Jerusalem almost indefinitely. Now, they are denied access and directed to the West Bank via the apartheid road parallel to Road 1 and Road 437 to the Anatot / Anata junction.
In addition, an iron gate was erected in the separation wall, which sometimes allows (we did not have the opportunity to see it open) pedestrians to enter Jerusalem through a-Tour. North to the checkpoint, the Olive Interchange was established, directing traffic from Highway 1 to Jerusalem and Ramallah (for blue ID holders only). The checkpoint is located near the village of a-Za'im, it is managed by border police and private security companies. It is active 24 hours a day.
People crossing the A Za'im checkpoint are checked randomly. The checkpoint suffers from traffic jams in the morning (from Ma'ale Adumim to Jerusalem) and in the afternoon (in the opposite direction).
