Israeli checkpoint
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An Israeli checkpoint (
Number of checkpoints
Since the 1990s, Israel has created hundreds of permanent roadblocks and checkpoints staffed by
In September 2011, the
According to B'Tselem, there were 99 fixed checkpoints in the West Bank in September 2013, in addition to the 174 surprise flying checkpoints. In August 2013, 288 flying checkpoints were counted.[4]
However, according to the Israel Defense Forces, after withdrawing the majority of checkpoints as a goodwill gesture, in May 2013 there were 13 checkpoints in the West Bank, down from 40 in 2008. Furthermore, according to the IDF, these checkpoints are not always used, with the frequency of use depending on the perceived security threat.[5][6] This figure does not include the numerous road blocks that prevent Palestinians from crossing the barrier, which in many cases blocks access to areas within the West Bank.
IDF perspective
According to the IDF, a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank can travel from the northern city of Jenin to Bethlehem, just south of Jerusalem, without encountering a single military checkpoint.[5]
According to program director Col. Triber Bezalel, the IDF employs humanitarian officers at various checkpoints. These officers are tasked with making life easier for those who cross the borders and aiding the elderly and sick.[7]
Criticism
Many
The
Flying checkpoints
Checkpoints and medical care
In March 2002, an explosive device was found in a Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance. The Red Crescent expressed shock at the incident, and began an internal investigation.[13] On January 11, 2004, a PRCS ambulance not carrying patients was stopped and searched at a flying checkpoint near the village of Jit. The ambulance was escorted by military jeep to the Qadomin bus station where after 10 minutes the ambulance crew got their IDs back and were allowed to continue working. In another case, on the same day, an ambulance transporting a diabetic patient to the hospital in Tulkarm was stopped, searched, and allowed to proceed after the companion of the patient was arrested.[14]
In 2008, an Israeli soldier in command of a checkpoint outside Nablus was discharged and imprisoned for two weeks after he refused to allow a Palestinian woman in labour to pass through. The woman was forced to give birth at the check point and the baby was stillborn. Between 2000 and 2006 at least 68 women gave birth at checkpoints of whom 35 miscarried and five died in childbirth, according to the Palestinian health ministry.[15]
See also
- West Bank closures
- Machsom Watch a human rights group of Israeli women monitoring IDF checkpoints.
- Palestinian freedom of movement
References
- ^ "Key Maps". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
- ^ "Movement and Access in the West Bank". United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian territory. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-7546-7239-5, 9780754672395
- ^ Checkpoints, Physical Obstructions, and Forbidden Roads. B'Tselem, Updated 24 November 2013
- ^ a b Reality check: The truth behind crossings in Judea and Samaria
- ^ Central Command
- Jerusalem Post.
- ISBN 978-1-908099-02-0.
- ^ "Humiliation at the checkpoints - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2011-09-06.
- ISBN 978-1-84277-719-0.
- ISBN 978-1-84277-719-0.
- Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2009-02-01. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2009-03-25. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
- ^ Amos Harel, Amira Hass, Yosef Algazy, Bomb found in Red Crescent ambulance, Haaretz, March 29, 2002.
- Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA). 16 December 2003 – 19 January 2004. Retrieved 12 May 2007.
- ^ "Israeli jailed over baby tragedy". BBC News. 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2010-05-05.