Palestinian Territory Occupied: Israeli Authorities’ Security Measures Continue to Restrict Movement and Access for Palestinians

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has released a recent report documenting the ongoing restrictions on Palestinian movement and access in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the H2 area of Hebron.

Physical Obstacles

• The OCHA report highlights 645 physical obstacles deployed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, an increase of about 8% compared to January-February 2020.
• Over half (339 out of 645) of these obstacles have a severe impact on Palestinians, preventing or restricting access and movement to main roads, urban centers, services, and agricultural areas.

Flying Checkpoints

• Israeli forces deployed an average of four ad hoc “flying” checkpoints each week along West Bank roads in 2022.
• These checkpoints further restrict Palestinian movement and access.

The Israeli Barrier

• The 712-kilometer-long Israeli Barrier, which runs mostly inside the West Bank, is another significant obstacle for Palestinians.
• While most Palestinian farmers can access their land through 69 gates, these gates are often closed by Israeli authorities, forcing them to abandon or shift from labor-intensive to rain-fed and lower-value crops.

Permit Regime

• Palestinians holding West Bank IDs require permits from the Israeli authorities to enter East Jerusalem through three designated checkpoints, except for men over 55 and women over 50.
• In 2022, 15% of permit applications by West Bank patients seeking care in East Jerusalem or Israeli health facilities and 20% of permit applications for their companions were not approved by the time of the scheduled appointment.

Impact on Palestinians

• The continued imposition of these security measures has a pervasive impact on Palestinians, limiting their ability to move in and out of their homes, maintain family life, access livelihoods and services, and undermine their economic, social, and cultural rights.
• Under international law, the Israeli authorities have an obligation to facilitate the free movement of Palestinians within the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

International Law

• The sections of the Barrier running inside the West Bank, together with the associated gate and permit regime, are unlawful as concluded by the International Court of Justice in 2004.
• The Israeli authorities have an obligation to dismantle these illegal structures and restore freedom of movement for Palestinians.