UNITED NATIONS Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian territory
WEST BANK MOVEMENT AND ACCESS UPDATE JUNE 2009
1. In the course of the past month the Israeli for several hours every week. No change authorities have implemented several steps has been implemented on the checkpoints that have further eased the flow of Palestinian controlling access into Ramallah from the traffic to and from four West Bank cities: south (Qalandiya and Jab’a), the east (Beit Nablus, Qalqiliya, Ramallah and Jericho. Initial El), and the west (Beituniya for goods only). field observations indicate that these measures Jericho have significantly reduced the amount of time required for Palestinians to access these cities. The main checkpoint controlling the southern access route into the city (DCO checkpoint) Nablus City ceased to be permanently staffed and most One of the seven checkpoints controlling of its infrastructure was removed. No change access into the city (‘Asira Ash Shamaliya) is has been observed at the two checkpoints no longer staffed on a permanent basis and controlling access from the north and the east. part of its infrastructure was removed; yet, two road gates (currently open) adjacent to the checkpoint remained in place and soldiers 2. The above measures take place alongside perform ad‑hoc checks at them. While the other a process of entrenchment of some of the six checkpoints around the city remain intact, mechanisms used to control and restrict the permit requirements for vehicles leaving Palestinian movement. This process, which was the city, previously implemented on some of elaborated in the latest Movement and Access these checkpoints, were li ed. In addition, Update issued by OCHA in May 2009, includes, checks are performed only on a random among other elements, the expansion of the basis and the opening hours were extended. alternative (“fabric of life”) road network and of key permanently staffed checkpoints. While Qalqiliya in some cases these measures have eased access, Of the two checkpoints controlling access they exact a price from Palestinians in terms of into the city from the south and from the east, land loss, disruption of traditional routes, and one was completely dismantled (‘Izbat Jal’ud deepening fragmentation of West Bank territory. checkpoint) and the other (DCO checkpoint) As a result, they have also contributed to the ceased to be permanently staffed, while shrinkage of West Bank land and space available keeping the infrastructure in place. Since the for Palestinian use and development. implementation of the la er, IDF soldiers have occasionally manned the checkpoint 3. To date, following the latest changes, there are without interrupting the flow of traffic. a total of 613 closure obstacles within the West Ramallah Bank territory (excluding checkpoints located on the Green Line), which obstruct the internal The main checkpoint controlling the northern movement of Palestinians, including access access route into the city (‘Atara checkpoint) into East Jerusalem. Despite some definitional ceased to be permanently staffed but most of differences, this figure has been confirmed by the the checkpoint’s infrastructure remained in IDF Central Command and OCHA, following place. Since then, random vehicle checks by detailed crosschecking and a series of joint field IDF soldiers were reported at the checkpoint trips.
P. O. Box 38712 East Jerusalem 91386 l tel. +972 (0)2 582 9962 l fax +972 (0)2 582 5841 l [email protected] l www.ochaopt.org 4. Out of the 613 closure obstacles, 68 are permanently 5. Not included in the 613 figure, but equally important staffed checkpoints (five fewer than one month are 84 obstacles blocking Palestinian access and ago). Thirty‑eight (38) of these permanently staffed movement within the Israeli controlled area of Hebron checkpoints are located on West Bank roads, which City (H2), 63 crossing points along the Barrier, also eventually lead to East Jerusalem and Israel, most of known as “Barrier gates” which control Palestinian them along the Barrier. The Israeli authorities use these movement into West Bank areas on the west side of the Barrier, and an average of 70 random (“flying”) checkpoints to prevent Palestinian access into East checkpoints deployed every week since the beginning Jerusalem and Israel without permits. The location of 2009. of these checkpoints inside the West Bank, however, blocks Palestinian access to communities and land on 6. The closure obstacles constitute only one of several the other side of the checkpoint. In addition, there are layers of a complex system of access restrictions 522 unstaffed obstacles (19 fewer than one month ago), applicable to Palestinians, which include, inter alia, which include roadblocks, earthmounds, earth walls, restrictions on the use of main roads, the Barrier and road barriers, road gates and trenches, and 23 “partial its permit regime, closed military zones and nature checkpoints”, which are points of control staffed on reserves, and Israeli se lements and adjacent “buffer an ad‑hoc basis. zones”.
2 WEST BANK MOVEMENT AND ACCESS UPDATE MAY 2009 UN OCHA oPt United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs West Bank Checkpoints June 2009
Legend : ¹º» ¹º» Checkpoint ne Li ¹º» e » ic ) ¹º Partial Checkpoint st e i in 1 ¥ rm L ¹º» Checkpoint on the Green Line A en ¹º» Jenin 49 re 2 P! 19 (G » ¹º 3 Constructed Barrier ¹º» 4 Under construction ¹º» Planned Barrier ¹º» International Border 1949 Armistice Line (Green Line) 5 Palestinain built-up area Tubas ¹º» Tulkarm P! P! 6 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ¹º»¹º» 8 ¹º» » Cartography: OCHA-oPt - June 2009. Base data: PA MoP, July 2000 - OCHA 7 ¹º 9 10 update 08. For comments contact
25 d » Salfit r ¹º o
J 26
r
¹º» e
v i WEST BANK R ¹º»
27 ¹º» 29 28 ¹º» ¹º» ¹º» 30 Ramallah ¹º» No Man's ¹º» P! Land 31 ¹º» 32 34 33 37 Jericho ¹º» 36 ¹º»¹º» P! ¹º» 35¹º» ¹º» 39 38 ¹º» ¹º» ¹º» º» 4»0 ¹ ¹º¹º» 41 ¹º» East Jerusalem43 42 P! ¹º»¹º» 44¹º» 45 ¹º» ¹º»46 ¹º» 48¹º» ¹º» 49 47 51 ¹º» 50 ¹º» 52¹º» ¹º» ¹º»53 ¹º» P! Bethlehem Hebron - H2 , Old City 55 54¹º» ¹º» ¹º» 56 ¹º»¹º» a ¹º» e
S
d 57 a e » 58 ¹º D 60 ¹º» ¹º» ¹» 61 ¹º» 63 ¹ 62 » ¹º» 64 ¹» ¹» ¹º ¹»¹» 65 ¹» Hebron P! ¹»¹¹»¹»¹»¹»¹» 67 ¹» 66 ¹»¹» ¹» 68 ¹» ¹» ¹º» ¹º» Hebron- H2 Area
59 Kilometers ¹º» 0 2.5 5 10 ¹º» ¹º» West Bank Checkpoints , June 2009
NUMBER CHECKPOINT NAME NUMBER CHECKPOINT NAME 1 Tura 35 Atarot 2 Reikhan Barta'a 36 Al Jib 3 Ya'bad Mevo Dotan 37 Jaba' 4 Nazlat 'Isa South 38 Hizmah 5 Tayasir 39 Ramot 6 Enav 40 Shufat road 7 Ephraim 41 Shufat Camp 8 Kafriat 42 Zayem 9 Jubarah 43 Zaytoun 10 Shave Shomeron 44 Lazarus 11 New Beit Iba / West Shave Shomron 45 Surkhi Qunbar 12 Hamra 46 As Sawahira ash Shariqiya 13 At Tur 47 Wadi Nar 14 Beit Furik 48 Sheikh Sa'd 15 Zufin 49 Gilo 16 Jaljoulia 50 An Nu'man 17 Huwwara 51 Wadi Fukin 18 ‘Awarta commercial 52 Tunnels 19 Ras 'Atiya 53 Betar Illit 20 Azzun Atma 54 Efrat 21 Tappuah 55 Al Jab'a 22 azzun atme 2 56 Efrat settlement entrance 23 Kafr Kasem 57 Tarqumiya 24 Ma'ale Efrayim 58 Mizpe Shalem 25 Deir Ballut 59 Beit Yatir 26 Rantis 60 checkpoint 56 al shuhada st. 27 Nilin 61 Beit Hadasa cp 28 Yitav 62 Beit Romano 29 Bet El DCO 63 Tel Rumeida checkpoint 30 Makkabim 64 Tel Rumeida checkpoint 2 31 Beituniya 65 checkpoint near border police station near tikyyat 32 Jericho 66 Salayma-police c 33 Qalandiya 67 checkpoint 209 34 Qawasmi 68 Abu Rish
UNITED NATIONS Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian territory
P. O. Box 38712 Tel. +972 (0)2 582 9962 East Jerusalem 91386 Fax +972 (0)2 582 5841 www.ochaopt.org [email protected] 4 WEST BANK MOVEMENT AND ACCESS UPDATE MAY 2009 UN OCHA oPt