With nine closures on main and sub roads of  southern Nablus city: the Israeli occupation adds new military checkpoints

• Violation: sealing off main and sub entrances in Nablus villages
• Location:  south Nablus
• Date:  September  04, 2016
• Perpetrators: Israeli Occupation Forces

Details:

Israeli Occupation Forces  have lately escalated violations and attacks on Palestinians to create a de facto on the ground that will be hard to deal with in any future negotiations with Palestinians; especially within the hard economic situation Palestinians go through.

At early hours of July 04, 2016, Israeli Occupation Forces surprisingly sealed off seven main roads and two sub-roads that link the villages of south Nablus with the city itself. A massive traffic  was generated as a result where the economic wheel and the services sector were negatively affected . Unjustifiably, the Israeli occupation claimed the closures to be for "Security Purpose".

Closures are :

1. Huwwara- Einabus- Jamma'in road : the occupation closed the road at 4:00 p.m. through road blocks, causing traffic in the area. The road is considered a linking point between the villages of Einabus, Zeita, Urif, Jamma'in with Huwwara town en route to Nablus city. The crucial road serves around 15,000 people and boosts the economic status because it is used for moving the stones from Jamma'in stone crushers to all Palestinian cities.

Photos 1+2: the road while and after being closed via road blocks

2. Beita- Huwwara road:

Israeli Occupation Forces closed Beita western entrance that is adjacent to the bypass road no. 60 via road blocks and earth mounds. As a result, a siege was imposed on the 12,000 inhabitants of village that is considered a strategic one in Nablus city. The closure will affect the workers of Beita Central Vegetables Market, which revenues are estimated of tens of thousands of Shekels. Many farmers in addition to the central market will be financially stroke.

Photo 3: Beita road closed by earth mounds and road blocks

3. Huwwara-Odala- Awarta road

The road is considered a linking point between the villages of Awarta, Al-Yanun and Odala  with Huwwara town en route  to Nablus city. The crucial road serves around 4000 people from the aforementioned towns and 12,000 people from Beita town as well. The closure affected people's movement and hit the economy of the area. Noteworthy,  Israeli Occupation Forces closed the road three times since the beginning of 2016.

Photos 4-6: Huwwara- Odala- Awarta road closed via earth mounds

4. Awarta checkpoint and Awarta's northern entrance:

Israeli Occupation Forces closed Aorta military checkpoint that is adjacent to the bypass that leads to Itamar colony. The checkpoint is the considered the linking point between Awarta, Yanun, Odala, Aqraba and Beita with Nablus city form the east. Also, Israeli Occupation Forces closed the northern entrance of Awarta via iron gate. The road is considered a linking point between Aorta and the bypass road , which leads to Itamar colony right before Awarta checkpoint.

5. Closure on sub-roads in Burin and its western entrance:

Burin village was so badly affected by closures. Israeli Occupation Forces were reported to close two agricultural roads via earth mounds in the eastern side of the village. The two roads link the eastern lands of the village with the bypass road no. 60; they serve 90 agricultural dunums planted with vegetables.

In addition, Israeli Occupation Forces closed the western entrance of the village via road blocks. The entrance is reported to serve around 8000 people and facilitate their movement in and out the village.

Photo 7: Burin road closed via earth mounds

6. Closure on Madama northern entrance:

Israeli Occupation Forces also sealed off the northern entrance of Madama village via road blocks and earth mounds. Noteworthy, the road is considered a linking point between Madama and Iraq Burin village in addition to it being a lead to the bypass road no. 60. Madama populates around 2600 people (2007 census).

Land Research Center sees that the policy of roads closures as a collective punishment to limit down Palestinians' movement.

International conventions and laws regarding freedom of movement which Israel unabatedly violates:

• Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person”.
• Article 5: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.
• Article 9: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile”.
• Article 13: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

• Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation.”
• Article 9: “Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.

Prepared by
 The Land Research Center
LRC