Movement and access to the West Bank

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UNITED NATIONS
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
occupied Palestinian territory
Movement and access in the West Bank

Click on the map. Then, press CTRL and + to see the new
access map on page 2

SEPTEMBER 2011

1. The civilian population of the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) must be
allowed to enjoy basic rights guaranteed in international law, including the right to freedom of movement and choice of residence, as well as the right to an adequate standard of living, adequate housing and access to education and healthcare. The Israeli authorities should facilitate the movement of civilians by removing checkpoints and obstacles not necessary for legitimate security purposes.

2. Most movement restrictions in the West Bank were
introduced following the outbreak of the second
Intifada in September 2000 as temporary measures
to contain Palestinian violence. The majority
of these have remained in place despite
a significant improvement in the security
situation, and close cooperation between
security forces of the Palestinian Authority
and Israel.

3. Despite improvements in the past three
years, Palestinians still face difficulties
accessing main urban centres in the West
Bank. Most Palestinian traffic is funnelled onto
secondary and often lower-quality routes affecting
their access to services and livelihoods.

4. Access to East Jerusalem is severely
restricted by the Barrier, checkpoints and a
permit system. This situation has a particularly
negative impact on patients and medical staff, who
need to access the six specialised hospitals in East
Jerusalem, providing services unavailable elsewhere
in the oPt. This system also impedes access to
Muslim and Christian places of worship in East
Jerusalem.

5. Palestinian access to large rural areas in the
West Bank is restricted by physical obstacles
and bureaucratic requirements. This includes
areas located between the Barrier and the Green
Line, the Jordan Valley (30 percent of the West
Bank), and agricultural land near Israeli settlements,
with a severe impact on access to livelihoods and
basic services.

6. Most of the movement restrictions imposed
on Palestinians aim to protect the 500,000
Israeli settlers living in settlements established in
contravention of international humanitarian law, aim
to secure land for expansion of settlements, and to
improve their connections with Israel.

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.