UNITED NATIONS Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian territory
Movement and Access in the West Bank SEPTEMBER 2011
FAST FACTS � 522 roadblocks and checkpoints obstruct Palestinian movement in the West Bank, compared to 503 in July 2010. � So far in 2011, an additional 495 ad-hoc ‘flying’ checkpoints obstructed movement around the West Bank each month (on average), compared to 351 in the past two years. � 200,000 people from 70 villages are forced to use detours between two to five times longer than the direct route to their closest city due to movement restrictions. � One or more of the main entrances are blocked to Palestinian traffic in ten out of eleven major West Bank cities. � Palestinians holding West Bank IDs require entry permits to enter East Jerusalem and are limited to using four of the 16 checkpoints along the Barrier. � 62 percent of the Barrier is completed, with 80 percent of the Barrier route built inside the West Bank, with highly limited access to areas behind the Barrier. � Four of the five roads into the Jordan Valley are not accessible to most Palestinian vehicles. � Almost 80 percent of land in the Jordan Valley is off-limits to Palestinians, with the land designated for Israeli settlements, ‘firing zones’ and ‘nature reserves’. � 122 closure obstacles shut off the Old City of Hebron from the rest of the city. � Palestinian access to their private land around 55 Israeli settlements is highly restricted.
1. The civilian population of the occupied 4. Access to East Jerusalem is severely Palestinian territory (oPt) must be restricted by the Barrier, checkpoints and a allowed to enjoy basic rights guaranteed permit system. This situation has a particularly in international law, including the right to negative impact on patients and medical staff, who freedom of movement and choice of residence, need to access the six specialised hospitals in East as well as the right to an adequate standard of living, Jerusalem, providing services unavailable elsewhere adequate housing and access to education and in the oPt. This system also impedes access to healthcare. The Israeli authorities should facilitate Muslim and Christian places of worship in East the movement of civilians by removing checkpoints Jerusalem. and obstacles not necessary for legitimate security purposes. 5. Palestinian access to large rural areas in the West Bank is restricted by physical obstacles 2. Most movement restrictions in the West Bank were and bureaucratic requirements. This includes introduced following the outbreak of the second areas located between the Barrier and the Green Intifada in September 2000 as temporary measures Line, the Jordan Valley (30 percent of the West to contain Palestinian violence. The majority Bank), and agricultural land near Israeli settlements, of these have remained in place despite with a severe impact on access to livelihoods and a significant improvement in the security basic services. situation, and close cooperation between security forces of the Palestinian Authority 6. Most of the movement restrictions imposed and Israel. on Palestinians aim to protect the 500,000 Israeli settlers living in settlements established in 3. Despite improvements in the past three contravention of international humanitarian law, aim years, Palestinians still face difficulties to secure land for expansion of settlements, and to accessing main urban centres in the West improve their connections with Israel. Bank. Most Palestinian traffic is funnelled onto secondary and often lower-quality routes affecting their access to services and livelihoods.
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 UNITED NATIONS United Nations Office for the Coordinationof Humanitarian Affairs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, occupied Palestinian territory WEST BANK: ACCESS AND MOVEMENT September 2011 West Bank: Access and Movement August 2011
West Bank Closures ¹º»! ¹º» Green Line Checkpoint ¹º» ¹º» Checkpoint ¥ ¹º» Jenin ¹º» Partial Checkpoint J ¹º»! ! ! ! ! !! Roadblock and Earthmound !! ¹º» ¹º» Earth Mound,Road Barrier and Trench ¹º» WEST BANK Barrier Constructed / Under Construction ¹º» Planned Tulkarm TubasJ ¹º» J !! ¹º»¹º» ¹º»! Restricted Area ¹º»! ! !!! !! ¹º» !!! ¹º» !!! » ¹º»! Israeli Closed Military Area ¹º ! ! ! ! Access is prohibited ! ¹º» ! ! Nablus ! ! Existing and Projected "Closed Areas" ! J !! ! ¹º» ! ! ! Behind the Barrier Qalqiliya ¹º» ¹º»! ! ¹ !! ¹º» ! ! ¹º» Access is limited to permit holders ¹º» ! J » ! ! ! ¹º ! ! ! !!! ! ! !! ¹º» Israeli Military Base ¹º» ! ¹º» ! Israeli Settlement Outer Limit ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (and Land Cultivated by Settlers) ¹º» ! !! !! !! ! ! !!! ! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ¹º» ! ! ¹º» ! ¹º» ! ! ! !! Palestinian Communities » ! ! ¹º !
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2 FACT SHEET September 2011