| Israel has cut off the northern West Bank | Date: 20-02-2008 |
| Author: B'Tselem | |
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Israel has cut off the northern West Bank
Since February 5, Israel has imposed severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the northern West Bank (Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarm districts) and prevents all Palestinian men between the ages of 16-35 from leaving this area without special permits, which are rarely granted. Testimonies taken by B'Tselem indicate that during some of this period, these restrictions have also been imposed on women of this age group. In the past few days, similar restrictions have been imposed on Qalqilya.In order to enforce these restrictions, the army has erected many new physical obstacles in this area. Dirt piles and boulders block passage of cars and enable them to travel only via staffed checkpoints, where the age restrictions on movement are enforced. These restrictions disrupt daily life for tens of thousands of people and particularly harm the wage-earning population and those in need of medical care.The newest restrictions were apparently imposed in response to the suicide bombing in Dimona, on February 4, 2008, in which an Israeli woman was killed. Israel has the right and the obligation to protect its population from attacks by Palestinian militants, and this includes the right to impose targeted restrictions on movement in response to concrete threats. However, even if these restrictions were initially imposed due to concrete warnings, the scope and duration of the current restrictions strongly suggest that the military is not properly balancing security needs with the welfare of the civilian population, as it is legally required to do. The military must find less harmful measures which will enable it to respond to localized warnings in the shortest time possible while causing the least harm to the Palestinian population. Furthermore, the military must at all times enable passage of ambulances, the sick and the wounded. |
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