Freedom of movement is a precondition for the exercise of other basic rights: The right to earn a livelihood and live in dignity, the right to education, the right to health, and the right to family life. Since 2000, restrictions on freedom of movement in the West Bank have made daily life practically impossible for Palestinians. These restrictions include physical obstacles – checkpoints, roadblocks, and the Separation Barrier – as well as movement bans enforced by the security forces throughout the area. In general, these prohibitions are not anchored in written orders or regulations, but are based on oral instructions that are often open to different interpretations. Moreover, the State and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) often claim that these measures are implemented to protect the security of Israelis, and the Israeli public largely believes these claims, rejecting any criticism of the IDF. Yet, ACRI has found that in some cases the restrictions are not proportionate to the magnitude of the threats and that in others the reasons for the restrictions are not based on security at all, but on other considerations such as economic growth.
Most of the human rights violations in the Occupied Territories are byproducts of the establishment of settlements and outposts. In addition to restrictions on movement from area to area in West Bank, Israel also severely restricts movement within the areas by splitting them up into subsections, and then controlling and limiting movement between them. The restrictions on movement have had a grave impact on efforts to conduct a normal economic life, and have thwarted any prospect for recovery of the Palestinian economy. ACRI works to ease restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement by monitoring the IDF’s actions and policies to ensure they are lawful and truly justified by security concerns.
Resources on Freedom of Movement:
The Illusion of Rule of Law on Route 443, May 2010
Human Rights Groups Petition: Stop Expulsion of Palestinians from West Bank to Gaza, May 2010
Human Rights Groups Challenge Military Order against West Bank Infiltrators, April 2010
Following ACRI’s Petition, High Court Orders 443 Open to Palestinians, December 2009
High Court Accepts ACRI Petition on Segregated West Bank Road, October 2009
State Announces West Bank Route 443 to Remain Segregated Till May 2010, July 2009
Intervention Warns of Deteriorating Situation at Qalandiya Checkpoint June 2009
Separation Barrier Cuts Off Families from Daily Lives, July 2008
ACRI: End Stranglehold on West Bank Villages of Beit Dajan and Beit Furik, June 2008
“Palestinians Barred from Dead Sea Beaches to ‘Appease Israeli settlers'”, The Independent, June 14, 2008
IDF: “Mixing” of Palestinians and Israelis Hurts Beach Businesses,
June 2008
ACRI’s Petition to High Court against Dead Sea Roadblock, June 2008
ACRI Condemns Court’s Approval of Segregated Route 443, March 2008
ACRI to Argue before Court against Israelis-Only Road, March 2008
Lift Collective Restrictions on Movement of West Bank Residents, February 2008
ACRI’s Appeal to Defense Minister Ehud Barak regarding Ongoing Movement Restrictions on Palestinians in the Jordan Valley, February 3, 2008
Following ACRI Intervention, Freedom of Movement Increased for Nablus Residents, December 2007
ACRI Successfully Challenges Movement Restrictions in Jordan Valley, May 2007
ACRI’s petition against the closure of Route 443 to Palestinians (English), March 2007
Supreme Court Rejects Petition to Open Karni Crossing, March 2007
ACRI: Revoke Prohibition of Palestinians on Driving a Car in Israel, February 2007
ACRI: rescind “Shin Bet-Prohibited” Classification, February 2007
HCJ Orders State to Dismantle Concrete Wall in Southern Hebron Hills, December 2006
Police Deny Disengagement Opponents’ Right to Protest, July 2005
