Checkpoints and roadblocks are barriers set up by Israel to deliberately control and restrict lPalestinian movement.
There are nearly 600 checkpoints across the occupied West Bank, restricting the movement of around 3 million Palestinians.
Israel’s checkpoints mean that pregnant women live in constant fear of not making it to the hospital. Sometimes women have to give birth at home instead.
Qalandiya is the busiest checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. 26,000 Palestinians pass through Qalandiya every day.
A deeper dive.
Checkpoints and roadblocks are barriers set up by Israel to control and restrict Palestinian movement. They impact the daily lives of around 3 million Palestinians.
They can be large permanent structures or temporary obstacles at the entrance to Palestinian towns and villages. In 2021 there were over 700 checkpoints and roadblocks across the illegally occupied West Bank.
Checkpoints fragment Palestinian society. They make it difficult for family and friends who live only a few kilometres away to see each other. They impact every aspect of Palestinian life, from seeing loved ones to visiting the shops and going to work.
Whilst Israeli settlers move freely through checkpoints, many Palestinian families and friends are only able to see each other a few times a year as they rely almost entirely on the goodwill of Israeli soldiers to allow them through. Permission is rarely granted between certain towns and villages.
Movement in and out of Bethlehem consists of mazes of metal turnstiles, security fencing and loudspeakers barking orders. Comparisons have been made between these conditions and the entry and exit into high-security prisons. Checkpoint conditions have a huge impact on the lives of Palestinians in Bethlehem. The number of tourists visiting has also decreased significantly.
Join #TeamFOA today to help end Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine.
