{"id":224421,"date":"2026-07-27T08:26:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/224421\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T08:26:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:26:18","slug":"restrictions-on-palestinian-movement-in-west-bank-allegedly-at-levels-not-seen-in-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/224421\/","title":{"rendered":"Restrictions on Palestinian movement in West Bank allegedly at levels not seen in decades"},"content":{"rendered":"

It used to take Jack Abed about 15 minutes to travel from his home in the central West Bank village of Taybeh to Ramallah.<\/p>\n

Today, the same journey regularly takes hours.<\/p>\n

According to Abed, a Greek Catholic priest in the West Bank\u2019s only Christian village, before October 7, 2023, travelers had a relatively straight shot to Ramallah via a road through the neighboring town of Deir Jarir, making the approximately 19-kilometer (11-mile) journey largely hassle-free.<\/p>\n

But after the Hamas attack, as Israel tightened restrictions on movement across the West Bank, concrete barriers were erected on the road on the approach to Ramallah. Even reaching Deir Jarir and Route 60 \u2014 the main north-south highway traversing the territory \u2014 is no longer straightforward, with the road occasionally blocked off by an iron gate installed by the army following the attack.<\/p>\n

Other main roads in and out of Taybeh and nearby villages are also now gated, often restricting access to Silwad, Jerusalem and Jericho. The gates are periodically closed on military orders or manned by soldiers who conduct lengthy inspections of passing vehicles, Abed said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople spend an hour and a half waiting at the checkpoint,\u201d said Abed, an Israeli citizen born and raised in Jaffa who arrived in Taybeh in 1990 to serve as the village priest. \u201cA month ago, a woman gave birth in an ambulance at the checkpoint on the road from Taybeh toward Jerusalem because they wouldn\u2019t let her through.\u201d<\/p>\n

Restrictions on movement have long been a feature of West Bank life, but in the last three years roadblocks, checkpoints and other types of barriers have multiplied, reaching levels not seen since the Second Intifada over 20 years ago, according to the UN.<\/p>\n

Palestinians say the intensified closures have created significant hardships, choking off economic activity and making both daily life and emergency situations much more difficult to navigate.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA gate installed after October 7, 2023, at the entrance to the village of Taybeh, near Ramallah, July 15, 2026. (Nurit Yohanan\/The Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt affects people\u2019s jobs, schools, workers trying to get to work,\u201d said Suleiman Dawabshe, head of the village council in Duma, south of Nablus.<\/p>\n

While Israel has in the past described similar measures as necessary for security, it has offered no rationale for the dramatic increase. Critics claim that the army itself does not even know how many closures and checkpoints there are, deploying them with no apparent overarching strategy or concern for how they affect the local population.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe IDF doesn\u2019t even aspire to know how many checkpoints exist at any given moment because it knows it isn\u2019t operating according to any orderly system,\u201d Reut Sha\u2019ar, an attorney who is suing for the military to provide a full accounting of the restrictions, told The Times of Israel.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of new gates<\/p>\n

The increase in movement restrictions has become one of the most commonly cited grievances among Palestinians across the West Bank.<\/p>\n

Since October 7, 2023, the IDF has installed hundreds of new gates at the entrances to Palestinian communities, allowing roads to be sealed off at short notice, according to an estimate by Sha\u2019ar, who petitioned the High Court for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel in February 2025.<\/p>\n

Roadblocks, staffed checkpoints and closures using earth mounds and concrete barriers have also expanded significantly, according to the United Nations.<\/p>\n

Data collected by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicate that the number of movement obstacles has reached its highest level in 20 years.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPalestinians near a block-off entrance to the West Bank city of Hebron, on June 1, 2026. (Wisam Hashlamoun\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n

The IDF has not publicly released comprehensive figures on the number of checkpoints and movement obstacles in the West Bank, nor has it offered public details regarding why they have been set up.<\/p>\n

In response to ACRI\u2019s petition demanding a comprehensive picture of the orders governing movement restrictions in the West Bank, the state argued that the military commander in the West Bank is authorized to impose movement restrictions \u201cto safeguard the security of the area\u2019s residents \u2014 Israelis and Palestinians.\u201d<\/p>\n

Responding to questions from The Times of Israel about the increase in checkpoints, the IDF said: \u201cDecisions regarding the placement, opening or closure of checkpoints are made solely in accordance with operational assessments and security considerations.\u201d<\/p>\n

It added that the restrictions balanced security needs with freedom of movement, and were \u201ccontinuously adjusted\u201d in response to the situation on the ground.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA road barrier blocking access to the Ennab checkpoint, leading toward the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem, reads \u201cNo future in Palestine,\u201d near the West Bank village of Ennab on February 10, 2025 (AP Photo\/Nasser Nasser)<\/p>\n

According to OCHA<\/a>, as of March 2026, there were 925 movement obstacles across the West Bank \u2014 representing a 43 percent increase over the average of 647 recorded annually during the previous two decades.<\/p>\n

The sharp rise began after Hamas\u2019s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, as the IDF clamped down on Palestinians across the West Bank in response to concerns of copycat attacks there. Though such incidents never materialized, the restrictions have continued to expand.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tJack Abed outside his home in the Christian West Bank village of Taybeh. July 15, 2026. (Nurit Yohanan\/The Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

An OCHA survey<\/a> conducted in March 2024 found that 86 new movement obstacles \u2014 including checkpoints, earth mounds and road gates \u2014 had been installed since October 2023.<\/p>\n

Over the same period, the UN body said, the IDF tightened restrictions at roughly 100 existing obstacles, closing gates that had previously remained open and reducing operating hours at checkpoints, OCHA said.<\/p>\n

In 2025, OCHA recorded the installation of over 120 more gates on roads in the West Bank.<\/p>\n

Many of the restrictions are not only on roads between villages but in heavily populated areas in and around Palestinian cities.<\/p>\n

Information published by Israeli civil rights group B\u2019Tselem showed four roadblocks on roads leading into Ramallah restricting movement for Palestinians since October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA gate installed after October 7, 2023, between the villages of Taybeh and Deir Jarir in the Ramallah area, July 15, 2026. (Nurit Yohanan\/ The Times of Israel)<\/p>\n

Aside from OCHA, little data is available regarding the scope of the restrictions on movement, with few organizations able to track the constantly changing web of roadblocks, checkpoints and other obstacles. Even OCHA\u2019s figures are only a snapshot, given the constantly shifting nature of the restrictions.<\/p>\n

In its response to the ACRI petition, the state acknowledged that \u201cthere is a gap regarding the regulation of movement restrictions,\u201d indicating that the military itself does not maintain a complete record of all road closures and checkpoints.<\/p>\n

While the petition has not yet been resolved, the IDF said that in response to the the request it had conducted \u201ca comprehensive staff review, now in its final stages\u2026 during which all movement restrictions placed on regulated roads\u201d throughout the West Bank had been mapped.<\/p>\n

However, those findings have not yet been provided to ACRI.<\/p>\n

\u2018Like a caged bird\u2019<\/p>\n

Many of the gates installed across the West Bank after October 7, 2023, remain permanently closed nearly three years later. Others are opened and closed without warning, making it difficult for Palestinians to plan travel.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like putting a bird in a cage, then opening and closing it whenever they want,\u201d Sha\u2019ar said.<\/p>\n

Abed said Taybeh residents are given no advance notice of when village gates will be opened or closed.<\/p>\n

The closures, he said, often force him to take lengthy detours.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I have to drive an extra 17 kilometers just to reach Jerusalem,\u201d he said from his home.<\/p>\n

As the interview drew to a close, he joked to a reporter that \u201cI hope you\u2019ll be able to leave without any problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

That day, the gate leading toward Jerusalem happened to be open, and no soldiers were stationed there.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF soldiers check a Palestinian man\u2019s ID at a checkpoint in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on his way to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem. March 7, 2025 (AP Photo\/Mahmoud Illean)<\/p>\n

Under military procedures, restrictions on movement \u2014 such as establishing a new checkpoint or closing a road \u2014 are supposed to be accompanied by a military warrant specifying the duration of the restriction and to whom it applies.<\/p>\n

According to the petition, however, the military generally does not publish such warrants when roads are closed. When warrants are eventually issued, Sha\u2019ar said, it is often only after ACRI specifically requests them.<\/p>\n

She added that, to ACRI\u2019s knowledge, military warrants have never been issued for the iron gates installed across the West Bank since October 7. None of the Palestinians interviewed by The Times of Israel for this article said they had ever seen an order authorizing the closure of their village.<\/p>\n

Morshed Awad, a resident of Beit Ummar in the southern West Bank, said the IDF closed both of the village\u2019s main entrances \u2014 one leading toward Hebron and the other toward Bethlehem \u2014 with gates that have remained shut ever since.<\/p>\n

\u201cResidents use alternative roads. The drive from Beit Ummar to Hebron used to take five minutes. Today it takes 40 minutes,\u201d Awad told The Times of Israel. \u201cIt creates real hardship. It affects people\u2019s lives psychologically as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA Palestinian boy ducks under an gate on his way home from school, at the entrance of the West Bank village of Yatma, south of Nablus, February 3, 2025 (AP Photo\/Nasser Nasser)<\/p>\n

The longer routes have also increased transportation costs, he said. Because trips now take significantly longer, Palestinian taxi drivers charge higher fares. In the last few years, the round-trip cost for his two children to get to their university outside the village and back has risen from NIS 20 ($6.50) to NIS 50 ($16.50), he said.<\/p>\n

Dawabshe, the Duma council head, said after October 7, 2023, the IDF blocked two of the village\u2019s entrances with earth mounds, leaving only one access road open, where a gate was later installed. On most days, he said, soldiers man a checkpoint there, searching vehicles and delaying traffic.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are held for hours and then released,\u201d he said. \u201cThis has been going on for three years, since October 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the restrictions have also affected access to healthcare, with those attempting to reach the nearest hospital in Nablus, about 28 kilometers (17 miles) away, subject to the same delays.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are checkpoints and road closures along the way, and that puts patients at risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Settler stranglehold<\/p>\n

Murad Samara, a resident of Bruqin, said representatives from the US State Department visited the village on May 23 to examine the situation.<\/p>\n

Two of Bruqin\u2019s main entrances were closed shortly after October 7, 2023. A third entrance, connecting the village to Route 446, which links several area settlements, was closed by the IDF in 2025 following a deadly terror attack <\/a>in which a resident of Bruqin killed Tzeela Gez, a resident of the nearby settlement of Bruchin, and her unborn child as she drove by the area.<\/p>\n

All three entrances remain closed to vehicular traffic, meaning anyone coming from outside the village must park next to the gate and continue on foot.<\/p>\n

Samara said US officials visited the gate leading to Route 446 and promised to convey a message to Israel about the need to open it.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPalestinians near a blocked-off entrance to the West Bank city of Hebron, on June 1, 2026. (Wisam Hashlamoun\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n

The State Department did not confirm to The Times of Israel that the visit had taken place. \u201cWe are in regular dialogue with partners about improving stability and security in the West Bank. We condemn criminal violence by any party in the West Bank,\u201d a spokesperson said. \u201cA stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration\u2019s goal to achieve peace in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

On July 5, Channel 13 reported<\/a> that the Trump administration had presented Israel with several requests regarding the situation in the West Bank, including a demand to remove some checkpoints.<\/p>\n

The Americans also reportedly expressed concerns over intensifying settler violence across the territory. While Palestinians have seen their freedom of movement restricted, critics note, Israeli settlers have significantly expanded their footprint, and have been accused of moving freely into Palestinian towns and villages, harassing locals and carrying out attacks.<\/p>\n

In its High Court petition, ACRI claimed that some of the roadblocks were initially erected at the initiative of settlers, with the military assuming responsibility only afterward.<\/p>\n

The organization provided The Times of Israel with four cases involving roadblocks near illegal Israeli outposts that blocked access to privately owned Palestinian land or roads serving Palestinian communities. The barriers were installed by unidentified individuals, though ACRI says it suspects settlers were responsible.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tPalestinian motorists line up at the Awarta IDF checkpoint, near the West Bank city of Nablus, February 3, 2025 (AP Photo\/Nasser Nasser)<\/p>\n

In three of those cases, the military responded that it was considering formally authorizing the roadblocks but did not issue military warrants for them. In the fourth case, a military warrant was signed months after the fact, according to Palestinians.<\/p>\n

The IDF declined to address the specific allegations about settler-driven restrictions, saying only that \u201cthe petition is pending before the court and will be handled through the appropriate legal channels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Samara expressed concern that the expanding movement restrictions, together with settler violence and other developments in the West Bank, would increase pressure on Palestinians, with potentially disastrous results.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Arabic we have a saying: \u2018Pressure leads to an explosion,’\u201d he said. \u201cThe roads should be open to everyone. Violence brings neither stability nor peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It used to take Jack Abed about 15 minutes to travel from his home in the central West…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":224422,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[58732,9709,27652,37,2253,28890,10858,14487,6905,37360],"class_list":["post-224421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-association-for-civil-rights-in-israel","tag-checkpoints","tag-idf-israel-defense-forces","tag-israel","tag-palestinians","tag-ramallah","tag-settler-violence","tag-taybeh","tag-west-bank","tag-west-bank-settlements"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116990993270058562","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=224421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/224421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=224421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=224421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=224421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}