RAMALLAH, January 12, 2016 (WAFA) – Israeli armed forces Tuesday set up a number of checkpoints north of the city of Ramallah and inspected Palestinians entering and leaving the city.
WAFA’s correspondent said Israeli soldiers caused a traffic jam by stopping vehicles of dozens of Palestinians at Atara checkpoint north of Birzeit and inspecting their vehicles and documents.
The army also set up a checkpoint near the village of Ein Sinia, north or Ramallah and searched the vehicles, which eventually led to a sever traffic jam.
While Israel‘s legal obligation is to respect the freedom of movement of Palestinians in the West Bank, the restrictions on movement and the resultant geographical splitting of the West Bank seriously impair the functioning of central social institutions and, consequently, the ability of Palestinians to exercise many human rights.
B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, said the Israeli restrictions impact trade, economy, and ability to access medical services and maintain family and social ties and education.
In 2014, B’Tselem recorded a total of 29 comprehensive closure days across the West Bank, an increase from only seven in 2013 and 11 in 2012.
M.H
