West Bank Access Restrictions Map | November 2024
https://www.ochaopt.org/content/west-bank-access-restrictions-map-november-2024
Interactive map - checkpoints & barriers
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/d0f8132285e74a73b5c1d6d1ac4f655c/
Millions of Palestinians struggle to live with dignity under Israeli occupation, facing coercive practices and Palestinian political divisions.
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| Israeli CHECKPOINTS & barriers restricting Palestinian movement 2023 OCHA MAP |
Settlers are Israeli citizens who live on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The vast majority of the settlements have been built either entirely or partially on private Palestinian land.
A settlement is authorised by the Israeli government while an outpost is built without government authorisation. Outposts can range from a small shanty of a few people to a community of up to 400 people.
Some of the settlers move to the occupied territories for religious reasons while others are drawn by a relatively lower cost of living and financial incentives offered by the government. Ultraorthodox Jews form one-third of all settlers.
A plurality of Israeli Jews who live in the West Bank say that the construction of settlements improves the security of the country, according to the Pew Research Center. The argument is that settlements act as a buffer for Israel’s national security as they restrict the movement of Palestinians and undermine the viability of a Palestinian state. However, some on the Israeli left argue that the settlement expansion hurts the two-state solution and thereby Israel’s own prospects for peace.
Israel started building settlements just after capturing the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the June 1967 Six-Day War.
In September 1967, the Etzion Bloc in Hebron was the first settlement built in the occupied West Bank. The settlement now hosts 40,000 people.
Kfar Etzion, one of the oldest settlements, houses around 1,000 people while the largest – Modi’in Illit – has around 82,000 settlers, most of them ultraorthodox Jews.
Successive Israeli governments have pursued this policy leading to a rise in settler population in the occupied territories.
About 40 percent of the occupied West Bank land is now controlled by
settlements. These settlements — along with a vast network of
checkpoints for Palestinians — effectively separate the Palestinian
parts of the West Bank from each other, making the prospect of a future
contiguous state almost impossible, according to critics.... READ MORE
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| Jameel Shahalda from the Palestinian village of Minya monitors the movement of Israeli settlers from an illegal outpost nearby. Photograph: Quique Kierszenbaum/The Guardian |
Israeli settlers are pushing ahead with a largely unnoticed de facto annexation of large areas of rural land in the occupied West Bank that has already seen the almost total displacement of Bedouin in large areas.
While settler activity, including violence, has long been well-documented in the section of the West Bank designated by the 1993 Oslo accords as under Israeli security and administrative control – the so-called Area C of the occupied territory, including the south Hebron Hills – settlers have switched their focus to mostly rural Area B, which was designated to be under Palestinian civil control initially.
All three of the Oslo areas – Area A being the major Palestinian cities – were intended under the accords to be transferred to a future Palestinian state.
At a time when the US president, Donald Trump, has talked about the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza, effectively endorsing its ethnic cleansing, a process of displacement is already advancing in Area B as West Bank Palestinians come under pressure from settlers and their far-right political backers in Israel
In one section of Area B in the arid desert hills between Bethlehem and the Dead Sea near the Israeli settlement of Tko’a all evidence of Bedouin who once lived there appears to have been erased, while in a second area those that remain are being harassed by settler violence.
In a landscape of deep wadis and dusty limestone escarpments, Bedouin shepherds until recently grazed flocks on the low-lying plants that appear in the winter months, or on seasonally cultivated forage crops in the flat valley bottoms.
Valleys that once sustained groups of Bedouin... READ MORE https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/13/last-nail-in-the-coffin-israeli-settlers-push-on-with-fresh-west-bank-land-grab
"Who said Gazans are worried about dying? There are many people around the world who worry about dying, including some Americans who don’t have health insurance or who live in areas that are at risk of wildfires. But our worry is not about dying. Palestinians are worried about being killed by Israeli soldiers, settlers, bombs, and bullets. How do you stop people from being killed? Not by removing the people who have been shot and bombed—but by stopping the people who are doing the shooting and bombing.
Since the start of the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, in late January, more than a hundred Palestinians have been killed and many more wounded." Mosab Abu Toha
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A man in Jabalia sells bread under the remnants of his bakery, which was destroyed during an Israeli attack.Photograph by Abdel Kareem Hana / AP |
When I first heard that President Donald Trump was making comments about the future of Gaza,
I was in New York City, at a special screening celebrating the new
season of my friend Mo Amer’s Netflix show, “Mo.” Then another friend
texted me: “Hideous Trump press conference in which he says America will
take over Gaza. We’ll talk tomorrow.” I was shocked. But whom would the
United States take Gaza from? Israeli forces levelled entire
neighborhoods and then withdrew. My friend Ahmad, from Beit Hanoun, in
northern Gaza, told me that people have returned to their neighborhoods
not to resume their old lives but “to live over the rubble of their
houses.” But even the rubble in Gaza has meaning to us. It is where our
loved ones lived and died. When the time comes, we are the only people
who will be removing what must be removed, only to reuse it to rebuild... READ MORE https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/gaza-must-be-rebuilt-by-palestinians-for-palestinians
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On this day in 1990, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, a revolutionary leader, was released from prison after 27 years. |
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite". Nelson Mandela
"My dream would be a multicultural society, one that is diverse and where every man, woman and child are treated equally. I dream of a world where all people of all races work together in harmony." Nelson Mandela
"It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in " Nelson Mandela
".... The situation is deeply worrisome on many levels. It is utterly shocking that these evangelical leaders chose to meet with a man subject to an active International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes instead of raising a prophetic call for peace or engaging with Christians in Israel and Palestine. Even worse, they completely ignored the urgent plea of 21 evangelical pastors and leaders from across the Middle East who issued a collective call to the global church last August, urging the world to listen to our cries and hear our stories.
Even more reprehensible, as Huckabee later admitted in an interview with Joel Rosenberg, the “universal feeling” among these pastors was not concern for peace or justice but anxiety over the disruption of their Holy Land tours. Rather than mourning the thousands of Palestinian children buried beneath the rubble in Gaza or pleading for the starving, wounded and displaced, they sought reassurance that, once the conflict subsided, they could return to treading the sacred ground where Jesus once walked — untainted by the bloodshed and dire suffering of innocent lives.
I write from the perspective of a Palestinian American evangelical who cares deeply about the church. I’m profoundly grateful for the American missionaries who have sacrificed to come to the Middle East and proclaim the gospel. Many faithful churches and dedicated missionaries work tirelessly, partnering with numerous God‑honoring ministries in the region to bring the hope of Jesus to desperate, shattered communities. Yet the credibility of our gospel witness as evangelicals is now at stake. We risk missing the opportunity to show the people of Gaza, a people on the brink of extinction, how deeply God loves and cares for them.
A significant generational shift is underway away from a false gospel of empire toward a faith that upholds justice, mercy and truth. Many young Christians recognize that true faithfulness to Christ cannot be reconciled with the destruction of Palestinian lives, the bombing of churches, hospitals and refugee camps or the systematic starvation of an entire population...." |
| Displaced Palestinians make their way from central Gaza to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) |
Last week, Israel carried out its largest demolition operation in the West Bank since 1967, destroying twenty buildings in the Jenin Refugee Camp within seconds. This assault is part of a broader escalation that has unfolded over the past two weeks. Under the operation dubbed “Operation Iron Wall,” Israeli forces have increased military actions in Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas, and Tammoun. These measures involve mass arrests, ground raids, and demolitions, aiming to dismantle social infrastructure and disrupt daily life in a manner reminiscent of previous assaults on Gaza.
God of Compassion, for nearly 80 years, our people have endured dispossession and loss. From Gaza to the West Bank, the weight of oppression continues to bear down on our hearts. We grieve the pain of those who have lived through generations of injustice and especially for the people of Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas, and Tammoun who live with no moment of peace. Amidst our fear and uncertainty, we ask you to make your presence and love known to those suffering. Grant peace to the afflicted, comfort to the grieving, and strength to the oppressed. Embolden the world to put an end to this cycle of violence and injustice.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer sabeel.org/read-more-2404/
%20and%20his%20dog%20Fala%20in%20Room%20Three%20of%20the%20Franklin%20Delano%20Roosevelt%20Memorial,%20Washington,%20D.C.%20%20FDR%20Memorial.jpg) |
| "THEY (WHO) SEEK TO ESTABLISH SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT BASED ON THE REGIMENTATION OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS BY A HANDFUL OF INDIVIDUAL RULERS... CALL THIS A NEW ORDER. IT IS NOT NEW AND IT IS NOT ORDER." FDR Photograph of a bronze sculpture by Neil Estern of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (in his wheelchair) and his dog Fala in Room Three of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Washington, D.C. |
Trump, DOGE and our Congress are laying the groundwork for World Wars III, IV, &V with a rampantly pro-Israel
prejudice aimed at undermining and destroying the United Nations, human
rights, fair and just laws- and the International Court of Justice.
Basic logic is Golden Rule thinking: Treat people the way you want to be treated- and the way you want your loved ones to be treated.
Stealing homes, land, and peace is wrong!
Detaining and/or torturing and/or killing political hostages because of their supposed race, religion, or nationality is evil and wrong when Israel does it and when HAMAS does it.
HAMAS attacking a music festival in Israel was evil and wrong, and
Israel retaliating by obliterating Gaza and now the West Bank with
bombs and bulldozers is evil and wrong.
People turn to religious extremism and/or violence for many reasons, including corruption and greed. Don't let American weaponry or words inspire even more religious extremism, terrorism, and state sponsored brutality.
Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Dr Martin Luther King Jr
My Letters https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search/label/letters
"Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world..." https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
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| In the aftermath of the ceasefire in Gaza, 1.9 million displaced people urgently need shelter, aid, and psycho-social support. UNRWA plays a vital role in fostering stability and resilience during this critical time. |
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Human Progress?
I don’t see this world becoming less wild as we progress, we’ve seen things get worse and become more distorted. Our humanity is really being tested.
#Peace #Progress #WildWorld |
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Shocked by Israeli forces' raid on East Jerusalem's Educational Bookshop—an intellectual lighthouse and family-run gem resisting Palestinian erasure under apartheid.
Internationals in Jerusalem: please show up, stand with the Muna family, and protect this vital hub. Don't leave them alone! |
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| Here are some of the books that were taken during the search |
The Police presented as evidence this "coloring book of incitement"
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| PalMedia Compare and Contrast: Bookstore owners Mahmoud and Ahmad Muna vs Netanyahu. |
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| Israel is now detaining booksellers for the crime of ... selling books. |
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| The Educational Bookshop is not just another bookstore. Every diplomat, journalist, or researcher of Jerusalem and the conflict knows these stores and their owner, Mahmoud Muna |
"We condemn in the strongest terms the arrest of my friends Mahmoud Muna and Ahmad Muna, Palestinian booksellers and owners of Jerusalem’s Educational Bookshop, by Israel’s occupation authorities.
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| Husam Zomlot in East Jerusalem Education Book Shop |
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Mahmoud Muna and his nephew Ahmad are currently in court, arrested by Israelis for being booksellers. This is Mahmoud last autumn @StanfordsTravel signing copies of Daybreak in Gaza with his co-editors. Everyone in publishing should be screaming about this! |
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| In The Guardian -Mahmoud Muna, one of the owners of East
Jerusalem's historical Educational Bookshop seen inside a branch of the
store. Muna is an editor of the book 'Daybreak in Gaza: Stories of
Palestinian Lives and Culture', in Jerusalem, Palestine, 23 Jul 2024 Photograph: Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/Shutterstock |
Raid on Educational Bookstore branches described by rights groups as part of harassment campaign against Palestinian intellectuals
Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn’t reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods.
Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold.
Nine Quarters of Jerusalem lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city’s depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller’s highly original ‘biography’ features the Old City’s Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics.
The book discusses the sources of Jerusalem’s holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls.
It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites.... READ MORE https://www.matthewteller.com/nine-quarters-of-jerusalem/
MATTHEW TELLER
My newest book Daybreak in Gaza: Stories of Palestinian Lives and Culture (Saqi Books, 2024), co-edited with Palestinian friends Mahmoud Muna, Juliette Touma and Jayyab Abusafia, gathers almost a hundred accounts of Gazan lives and stories from before and during Israel’s ongoing assault, by Gaza’s writers and artists, but also its doctors and shopkeepers, its farmers and students and office workers. ‘A most significant collection, one that frightens, awes and inspires,’ said Philippe Sands. Suad Amiry called it ‘essential reading’ and Fatima Bhutto said: ‘Daybreak in Gaza must be shared with the world.’
My previous book Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Profile Books and Other Press, 2022) reassesses histories and outlooks on Jerusalem as told through stories of the communities that live – and have lived – inside the city’s walls. Jonathan Dimbleby called it “original and illuminating” and Raja Shehadeh said it “reveals the Old City of Jerusalem better than any other book written about the city.” It was the Observer‘s ‘Book of the Week’ and a ‘Book of the Year’ in the Daily Telegraph, Geographical magazine and elsewhere.
My book Quite Alone: Journalism from the Middle East 2008-2019 collects some of my travel, feature journalism and news reporting.
