Impossible travel

Amira Hass elenca tutte le restrizioni ancora presenti nei Territori palestinesi, restrizioni che impediscono alle persone di muoversi liberamente da un luogo all'altro, di cambiare residenza, o che costringono a compiere percorsi assurdi anche per raggiungere villaggi vicini (a causa di strade bloccate o riservate ai soli israeliani). Quasi sempre è necessario avere con se i permessi per viaggiare, muoversi, trasportare merci, e anche i permessi per motivi di salute necessitano di lunghe e complicate procedure

Alcuni esempi:

Standing prohibitions

* Palestinians from the Gaza Strip are forbidden to stay in the West Bank.

* Palestinians are forbidden to enter East Jerusalem.

* West Bank Palestinians are forbidden to enter the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing.

* Palestinians are forbidden to enter the settlements' area (even if their lands are inside the settlements' built area).

* Gaza residents are forbidden to establish residency in the West Bank.

Periodic prohibitions

* Residents of certain parts of the West Bank are forbidden to travel to the rest of the West Bank.

Travel permits required

* A permit for medical treatment in Israel and Palestinian hospitals in East Jerusalem (The applicant must produce an invitation from the hospital, his complete medical background and proof that the treatment he is seeking cannot be provided in the occupied territories).

Checkpoints and barriers

* There were 75 manned checkpoints in the West Bank as of January 9, 2007.

* There are on average 150 mobile checkpoints a week (as of September 2006).

* There are 446 obstacles placed between roads and villages, including concrete cubes, earth ramparts, 88 iron gates and 74 kilometers of fences along main roads.

* There are 83 iron gates along the separation fence, dividing lands from their owners. Only 25 of the gates open occasionally.

Travel time before 2000 versus today

Tul Karm-Ramallah

Then: less than one hour.

Now: Two hours.

Katana/Beit Anan-Ramallah

Then: 15 minutes.

Now: One hour to 90 minutes.

Katana-Jerusalem

Then: five minutes.

Now: "Nobody goes to Jerusalem anymore."

(fonte Haaretz, this information was gathered by Haaretz, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Machsom Watch, per la mappa OCHA - Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs).