Over the last week, Israel’s authorities have practically shut down Palestinian movement across the illegally occupied West Bank, by either completely closing or tightening their operations at dozens of military checkpoints spread out across the territory.
In addition to longstanding checkpoints, they have set up around 30 new ones, leading to additional hardship for Palestinians who now face yet more obstacles hindering their movement and causing added complications to all aspects of daily life.
Ahed Abdulrahim needed 10 hours to get from his workplace in Nablus city to his house in Odala village, south of Nablus — even though the journey is only 20km. This is because he was forced to wait in line for hours at one of the several military checkpoints set up by Israeli forces at the entrances and exits to the city.
“I left Nablus city centre on Monday afternoon, at around 4 pm, and headed for the Al-Murabba’a checkpoint, only to find myself in a long queue,” the 33-year told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister edition.Â
“I thought it would be like normal, as in the occupation soldiers would let cars pass one by one after searching them and checking passenger IDs, but this time was different – we didn’t move a single metre in over two hours,” Ahed revealed.Â
As he waited in line, Ahed followed updates on social media groups that post about the roads and checkpoints, hoping there would be news on a barrier allowing cars through – to no avail.
He decided to stay put rather than risk trying another route. However, when night fell, he says, it became difficult to see except by the glow of the car headlights, as the checkpoint is located on a badly-lit road going out of the city.
After around eight hours, news circulated that the Israelis were letting cars pass through the Awarta checkpoint, Ahed says.
“Geographically, [Awarta] was only a few kilometres away,” he adds, “but getting there wasn’t easy, as I had to go back into Nablus, then exit from the southeastern side. It was now around 1 am, and there was a long queue, but the occupation soldiers were letting cars enter and exit after checking them. I got home at two in the morning.”
“The goal of these checkpoints is to humiliate them and push them to consider leaving their land”
A specialist in Israeli affairs, Azzam Abu al-Adas, explains that the current “violations intensified following the Gaza agreement, as Israel’s security minister Itamar Ben Gvir issued an order banning Palestinians from celebrating the release of prisoners, and dozens of checkpoints were set up to stop Palestinians travelling to welcome them or celebrate their freedom.”
At the same time, he adds, Israel’s finance minister Bezalel Smotrich “is pressuring his government to speed up the dismemberment of the West Bank.”
Azzam believes a “bleak future awaits the West Bank – there are both openly-stated and secretive settlement plans which involve forcing Palestinians to leave, and the goal of these checkpoints is to humiliate them and push them to consider leaving their land.”
Moreover, he says, this agenda is not meeting with any kind of “vision from the part of the [Palestinian] Authority, or the political factions, other than statements of anger and condemnation which are of no use.”
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a statement saying it viewed the removal of sanctions on extremist settlers in the West Bank and Israel’s decision to release those who have been arrested with “great seriousness”.
“In the two days after a ceasefire was announced in Gaza, Israeli forces established around 30 new military checkpoints across the West Bank”
It warned that these actions were an attempt to inflame the situation in the West Bank, in the hope that Israel would then find a pretext to replicate the crimes of genocide and population expulsion it had carried out in Gaza. This would pave the way to creating a state of violent chaos in the region, which would in turn facilitate its annexation plans for the West Bank.
Israel’s military checkpoints are among the most debilitating measures it imposes on Palestinians in the West Bank. Through the checkpoints, Israel has total control over Palestinian civilian movement, an act it claims is justified by “security reasons”.
In the two days after a ceasefire was announced in Gaza, Israeli forces established around 30 new military checkpoints across the West Bank, as well as over 20 metal gateways which soldiers operate remotely from their watchtowers or bases.
The current restrictions are affecting many university students, especially with the final exams for the first semester currently underway. The proliferation of checkpoints has led to daily delays and prevented students from attending lectures and exams, as well as placing students under mental and physical stress due to having to wait for hours at the checkpoints — exacerbated by fears they might be arrested or detained.
Transport costs are also higher as a result of the checkpoints, due to buses and taxis being forced to take alternative routes due to road closures, all of which has prompted the administration of universities in the north of the West Bank to postpone examinations or arrange for them to be done online. Â
Even more serious repercussions are being felt by hospital patients and the sick who are forced to travel between different governorates to reach hospitals, whether for scheduled surgical operations or medical checkups.
Dr Iyad Maqboul, the general manager of Al Najah University Hospital, says the hospital “receives around 600 patients for kidney dialysis every day over two shifts from the seven northern governorates of the West Bank.”
He adds that Israel’s intensified operations on the checkpoints make “no exceptions for the sick, nor for ambulances which the soldiers deliberately delay and search, which has forced us to rearrange appointments.”
While this creates a sense of disarray, he says, “Unfortunately, we’re used to [Israel’s] procedures, and we have backup plans in place. What’s dangerous is doctors being prevented from passing through the checkpoints, especially those [due to] perform complex, pre-scheduled surgeries.”
He said these doctors always carry evidence to show who they are and their profession, which means they should be “facilitated to carry out their work.”
The fact that Palestinian vehicles are being held at a standstill for long hours is also making them a target for settler attacks, especially at checkpoints close to bypass roads, settlements and settler outposts.
Majdi Qanadilo, a truck driver, says that “dozens of settlers” have attacked vehicles queued up with stones, smashed windows, and “at times, fired bullets at us in full view of the occupation soldiers who do nothing.”
He remarks that this has happened “repeatedly at the al-Hamra checkpoint, in the Jordan Valley, and at the Shafi Shamron checkpoint north of Nablus.”
On Tuesday, around ten Palestinians suffered injuries as they waited at a checkpoint set up suddenly by Israeli forces near the Al-Funduq village between Nablus and Qalqilya after settlers attacked them with sticks and stones. The Israeli soldiers didn’t allow Palestinian paramedics to reach those injured to provide emergency treatment.
Luay Timm, who heads Al-Funduq village’s regional council, confirms that Al-Funduq has been “turned into a military barracks and a direct target for settler attacks” since an operation by Palestinian gunmen killed three settlers around 20 days before.
This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition. To read the original article click here.
Translated by Rose Chacko Â
This article is taken from our Arabic sister publication, Al-Araby Al Jadeed and mirrors the source’s original editorial guidelines and reporting policies. Any requests for correction or comment will be forwarded to the original authors and editors
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