4) The Palestinian Territories: A Large Prison!

The Israeli Army continued its policy of aggression and closure against the Palestinian people using a collective punishment method, stopping and curtailing the movement of Palestinians by creating dozens of military checkpoints all over the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Thus, the Israeli Army practically imposes a curfew over two million Palestinians. At present, it is almost impossible to travel from one town to another in the Occupied Territories. Moreover, most of the minor sandy roads are blocked by piles of sand and rocks or by cement blocks.

In addition, the Israeli authorities announced on 5/8/2002 that Palestinians are not allowed to use their cars inside five major cities in the West Bank; Nablus, Tulkarem, Ramallah and Jenin. Another severe measure by the Israeli authorities to make the life of the Palestinians even harder.

4:1 The Siege

A- Economical

The economical siege is the basic instrument used by Israel to suppress the Palestinians in the Territories, especially since the outbreak of the Uprising in September 2000. The Palestinians towns, villages and camps live under total siege and curfew. This has intensified the unemployment phenomenon that is spreading very rapidly in the Palestinian community, due to the fact that Palestinian workers and traders can’t reach their places of work. This situation has increased the poverty and added to the suffering of poor families.

Statistics by the Palestinian Ministry of Labor in March 2002 said the percentage of unemployment reached 67% in the West Bank, and 78% in Gaza Strip, and the number of unemployed Palestinians in the Occupied Territories reached 360,000. Further more, the Israeli military general, Issac Eitan, head of the Central Command, issued an order on 15/6/2002 preventing the Palestinian workers from entering the Jewish settlements and the Israeli industrial zones in the Occupied Territories, explaining that only Israelis are allowed to enter those places. (according to Ha’aretz newspaper on 21/6/2002)

The number of Palestinian workers from the West Bank who work in East Jerusalem and Israel ranges between 60,000-70,000. At present 95% of them are unemployed because of the Israeli checkpoints around Jerusalem, or the arbitrary dismissal from work and replacement by foreign workers. (according to the Palestinian Workers Union on 4/1/2002)

B- Effects of Closure

The closure and siege on the Palestinian Territories has devastating effects on the life of the Palestinians: on health, nutrition and education.

- Health

According to the survey of health and nutrition that was carried out this year by the Ministry of Health, Bir-Zeit University and UNICEF (1/8/2002) the results pointed out that 36.4% of the Palestinian families (about 218,800 individuals) face difficulties in obtaining health services for their children. The main reason for that, according to the survey, is the incapability to meet the costs for services (76.9%); the second reason is the Israeli closure, as 37.2% of the families could not reach the medical services due to curfew or tight closure.

Moreover, the percentage of Palestinian women who were pregnant and sought medical help without getting it increased since the Israeli closure became very strict on the territories. A report published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics revealed that 19.6% of Palestinian pregnant women in the West Bank and Gaza Strip do not receive the adequate medical care either because it is difficult to reach the clinics or the doctors are unable to reach their places of work. As a result 24 birth cases occurred at the Israeli checkpoints in the territories, and 6 cases of abortion.

- Nutrition

Because of the Israeli aggressive practices in the Palestinian Territories, the rate of poor nutrition among Palestinian children increased rapidly. The annual report for the year 2001 of the Ministry of Health showed that:

1.     The percentage of Palestinian children suffering from poor nutrition increased by 125.6% in comparison with the year 2000.

2.     Anemia has spread rapidly in the Palestinian community due to poor nutrition. 43% of pregnant women suffer from anemia, while 68.2% of newborn babies (0-9 months old) suffer from anemia. While 32.8% of the whole population suffer from this disease.

3.     The Israeli measures of curfew, closure and destruction of electricity supplies effect vaccination of children and mothers, and so they may catch disease, such as polio and measles, easily.

- Education

The education process in the Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps has been severely curtailed by the Israeli closure and siege. Thousands of Palestinian schoolchildren, teachers and university students have been forbidden from reaching their places of study.

In a recent report published by the Ministry of Education covering the period 29/9/2000 – 15/8/2002, there is clear evidence that the educational process in the Occupied Territories has received fatal blows by the Israeli punishments, especially the curfew and closure.

The report showed that since the start of the uprising the Israeli authorities have closed 7 schools by firm military orders. The closing period ranged from one month to three months. The schools were distributed as follows: 3 in the village of al-Khader south of Bethlehem, 3 in the Old City of Hebron and one in Hawwara near Nablus. A total of 3000 schoolchildren were prevented from receiving any education during the time their schools were closed.

The Israeli authorities imposed curfew on the Palestinian territories for long periods of time that disturbed the educational process in 850 schools. The Israeli Army penetrated into 197 schools using gunfire, and in some cases shelled the school building, like Betunia Girls School, Tulkarem Industrial Boys School, and the three schools in the Old City of Hebron.

The report also mentioned that 232 schoolchildren, boys and girls, were killed by Israeli gunfire in the period 29/9/2000 – 15/8/2002. Most of them were killed either on their way to school, or going back home. 2567 other schoolchildren were injured in the same period.

4/2: Checkpoints of Death

According to the Israeli principles, the suffering of the Palestinian population has to be complete. It became impossible for Palestinians to move from one town to another. Even those who are ill and need urgent medical treatment are not allowed to pass through the military checkpoints.

The Israeli checkpoints represent the fundamental obstacle for the Palestinian population, especially elderly and ill people.

1-     They stop and/or prevent ambulances from reaching hospitals. More than 61 Palestinians died at checkpoints since the start of the uprising, among them 20 children less than 10 years old.

(see the  PHRMG web site: www.phrmg.org for the full list)

2-     They stop and/or prevent medical aid from entering the country, which resulted in a shortage of medications in hospitals and clinics. It is worth mentioning here that the local medical industry provides only 40% of the local need.

3-     Israeli hospitals stopped receiving Palestinians patients, such as Tal-Hashomer Hospital in Tel-Aviv which no longer receives Palestinian cases that require X-ray deep treatment for cancer cases. The Israeli authorities prevent such cases from traveling abroad for treatment, which means they will have to face death sooner or later.

4/3: The Separating Wall

On 14/4/2002 the Israeli government approved the plan to build the separating wall that divides Israel from the West Bank. The scheme consists of having three geographical areas, and two types of barriers. The geographical areas are:  Jerusalem cover, the Green Line and the isolation zone. The isolation zone is a wide area, ranging from 1 – 10 kilometers, without barriers inside this zone, but extensive military activity. As for the cover of Jerusalem and the Green Line, there will be barriers for people, taking the form of a fence, and for vehicles. The fence will not be continuous; it will only be so in certain areas where there are “problems,” such as opposite Tulkarem, Jenin, Qalqilia and around Jerusalem.