ABSTRACT
Since the outbreak of the second Intifada in 2000, residents of the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT) have been subjected to extremely harsh movement restrictions, affecting all daily activities. Figure 13.1 shows how the West Bank is divided into dozens of “land cells” by the blocks array (the manned checkpoints, physical blockades, restricted roads, and the Separation Wall), which affects nearly every attempted movement (see also Chapter 16, this volume; Handel 2009). It is therefore surprising to note the very low numbers of permits distributed by Israel in 2004 (one of the most restricted years). According to human rights organizations’ reports, only 3,412 Palestinians (out of 2.3 million; i.e., 0.14 percent) held a valid permit for passage through internal checkpoints in the West Bank (B’Tselem 2004), while throughout the whole of 2004 only 2.45 percent of West Bank inhabitants held any kind of permit (Machsom Watch and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel 2004).
