Israel has cut off the northern West Bank

Since February 5, Israel has imposed severe restrictions on

the movement of Palestinians in the northern West Bank (Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarm districts) and prevents all Palestinian men between the ages of 16-35 from leaving this area without special permits, which are rarely granted. Testimonies taken by B'Tselem indicate that during some of this period, these restrictions have also been imposed on women of this age group. In the past few days, similar restrictions have been imposed on Qalqilya.

In order to enforce these restrictions, the army has erected many new physical obstacles in this area. Dirt piles and boulders block passage of cars and enable them to travel only via staffed checkpoints, where the age restrictions on movement are enforced. These restrictions disrupt daily life for tens of thousands of people and particularly harm the wage-earning population and those in need of medical care.

The newest restrictions were apparently imposed
in response to the suicide bombing in Dimona, on
February 4, 2008, in which an Israeli woman was killed.
Israel has the right and the obligation to protect its
population from attacks by Palestinian militants,
and this includes the right to impose targeted
restrictions on movement in response to concrete
threats. However, even if these restrictions were
initially imposed due to concrete warnings, the
scope and duration of the current restrictions
strongly suggest that the military is not properly
balancing security needs with the welfare of the
civilian population, as it is legally required to do.

The military must find less harmful measures
which will enable it to respond to localized
warnings in the shortest time possible while
causing the least harm to the Palestinian
population. Furthermore, the military must
at all times enable passage of ambulances,
the sick and the wounded.