On Saturday, December 13, Israeli military occupation forces reopened the Bab a-Zawiya checkpoint in Hebron which had been closed for three weeks following its torching by Palestinian teens on November 22. The checkpoint, situated at the entrance to a-Shuhadaa Street in the heart of Hebron, monitors the two-way passage of Palestinians between the neighborhood of Tel Rumeidah and downtown Hebron and the city market. Even when the checkpoint is open, Palestinian residents may only cross it as pedestrians; all Palestinian vehicular traffic is prohibited. This means Palestinians must go on foot to and from the market, and return home carrying their purchases with them.

Residents of Bab a-Zawiya neighborhood, Hebron, standing by the closed checkpoint, November 24, 2014. (Photo: B’Tselem)

Initially, after its torching, the checkpoint had been completely closed for several days. Then, sporadically and at their discretion, soldiers began permitting the elderly and sick to pass through. In addition, during six days the military granted passage to pupils from a nearby school. Most residents of Tel Rumeidah were not allowed through the checkpoint for the entire three weeks.

According to the Israeli NGO B’Tselem: “Like the other harsh restrictions imposed by the military on movement of Palestinians in Hebron, the checkpoint serves no security purpose. These restrictions have been in place for twenty years as part of the policy of separation in Hebron. The policy enables a handful of settlers, who took up residence in the heart of Hebron with the support of Israeli governments, to dictate daily life for tens of thousands of Palestinians in the city. Certain main streets – where most of the settlements in Hebron were established – are completely off-limits to Palestinians and many others are closed to Palestinian vehicles. These drastic restrictions have rendered life impossible for Palestinians in central Hebron, forcing many to leave their homes and workplaces. Closing the checkpoint was collective punishment meted out to hundreds of people for the deed of a few individuals. The military must remove this and other unnecessary checkpoints in central Hebron, and stop its ill-treatment of local residents.”

Related:

Report at B’Tselem website