JENIN, March 27, 2011 (WAFA) – A Palestinian one-day old baby was inspected and forced through X-ray search by Israeli forces stationed in a checkpoint at Bartaa al-Sharqiya, a village northwest of Jenin, north of the West Bank.
Mohammad Omrah, the baby’s father, was escorting his wife and newborn back from the hospital one day after the birth in his car, but they were held back for over an hour under the rain at the checkpoint.
Omrah said “on our way home from the hospital, only one day after my wife gave birth to my son Oday, we were held back for over an hour at Dotan checkpoint near Yabad town. I informed the soldiers about my wife and baby’s condition but they insisted on keeping us for no reason, despite the fact that we have previously coordinated with the Israeli District Coordination Office (DCO).”
“Israeli soldiers insisted on inspecting the baby by putting him through an X-ray search device,” he added. “I refused their request at the beginning in fear for his life, but I had to agree because I knew they would hold us there till morning, with little care to my wife and child’s health.”
He continued “after putting the baby through the X-ray device, they held us outdoors in the cold and rain. My wife was forced to leave the car for inspection, although she had had a caesarean operation the day before. She was also held for half an hour before we were allowed to pass.”
Bartaa al-Sharqiya, a village 30 kms west of Jenin, is completely isolated by the Separation Wall from the West Bank. As a result, its residents need special Israeli permits to enter or leave the village, and only from 7 AM till 9 PM. Only residents and first-class relatives are given permits.
The Israeli private security companies which run Bartaa al-Sharqiya’s crossing implement humiliating and severe measures against Palestinian residents.
Bartaa al-Sharqiya has only one clinic and no medical centers to provide necessary medical care for its residents. Ambulances are not allowed into the village, and residents must go to medical institutions in Jenin.
Israel started constructing the Separation Wall in 2002 and isolated many lands and properties behind the wall. The living conditions in Palestinian villages which were isolated deteriorated sharply, as people’s daily lives and movement rely on special permits and the mood of Israeli soldiers at the checkpoints.
Numerous international resolutions were issued regarding the Wall; the main one of which was by the International Court of Justice in 2004 which considered the Wall to be illegal by 150 votes of members of the General Assembly of the United Nations.
R.Q./F.J.
