Nablus roadblocks, indicators of Israeli illegal measures against the Palestinians

15 July, 2007

A person who closely monitors the media, and the repeated Israeli statements of facilitating the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank, removing some roadblocks, and “easing restrictions” might find it difficult to understand these statements if he just carries a small tour around Nablus.

Translated & Edited by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC

Israel claims that it is willing to lift some roadblocks, stop chasing some resistance activists and stopping its invasions into the West Bank, in addition to releasing a number of detainees, but you only need to make a small tour around Nablus, and see its roadblocks.

Only then you will observe part of the daily suffering of the residents. Recently, and in an ironic contradiction with the statements of Israel’s Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, the Israeli army doubled the number of roadblocks, especially around Nablus, and started barring male residents under the age of 35 from crossing.

The roadblocks of Huwwara, Beit Eeba, Beit Forik, and Za’atara are considered the worst roadblocks in the occupied West Bank. There, you can see the truth which contradict with the statements of Olmert, his military and security commanders, there you can see the truth.

Dozens, even hundreds of residents, have to line up on daily basis and wait at the Huwwara checkpoint, under the extreme summer sun, while the soldiers continue their illegal and provocative acts, and even leave the residents there and go for extended chats with each other, or ever phone as if nobody is waiting there, under the sun and the heat, as if nobody exists.

Beit Eeba checkpoint is a similar story, and whenever the soldiers want to make it harder to the residents they just have to claim that they found “explosives with someone” or that they “arrested someone who was on his way to carry an attack”, as if a person carrying explosives or weapons would go to a checkpoint in order to cross, and checkpoints which has been there since many years.

Al Bathan checkpoint, also near Nablus, is one of the most difficult checkpoints, where thousands of residents are deprived from reaching the parks, and greenery areas in Al Bathan and the rest of the Plaines area.

Nablus roadblocks are closing all of Nablus’s five entrances, they became the worst nightmare of the residents, who do not only have to suffer from the occupation and invasions, but also have to go though daily hardships every time they want to move from one place to another, even in the same district, since more than five years and a half, these roadblocks transformed Nablus into a big prison, with big Walls around it and roadblocks which function as prison gates, gates of suffering and hardship.