Women forced to give birth in a car

Dear friends,

We are sharing with you the following
report from www.btselem.org about
two women who could not reach
hospital to give birth to their children.

3 Jan 2008: ‘Azzun ‘Atmah gate still
closed at night, despite army’s promise
: Two women forced to give birth in a car

The village of ‘Azzun ‘Atmah is cut off from the rest of the West Bank
by the Separation Barrier. State officials say the village was made
into an enclave primarily to place the Sha’are Tikva settlement on the
“Israeli” side of the barrier. The only way the residents can get to the
rest of the West Bank is through a gate in the barrier that is open only
part of the day. When it is closed, soldiers remain in the guard tower
by the gate. When residents need to leave the village for any purpose,
including medical treatment, they have to call to the soldiers and
beg them to open the gate.

B'Tselem has twice contacted the military authorities and warned
them of the danger inherent in closing the gate at night. The first
warning came following the death of ‘Adel ‘Omer, a young man
from the village who was seriously injured when a tractor overturned.
Soldiers waited more than an hour and a half before opening the
gate so he could be taken to hospital.

The separation barrier and soldiers' watchtower, 'Azzun 'Atmeh,
Photo: Miki kratsman.

In response to B’Tselem’s requests, the army stated:
“The procedure is that the crossing gate is open 24 hours and when
civilians come to the gate, the soldiers come down from the pill-box
to open it.” Testimonies given to B'Tselem indicate otherwise. In the
past month alone, two women from the village had to give birth in
their cars after soldiers at the gate did not allow them to pass to
get to hospital in nearby Qalqiliya.

On 12 December 2007, at around 2 A.M., Tamas ‘Ali came to the
gate in labor, accompanied by her husband,. The gate was closed
and the soldiers refused to open it, despite the husband’s pleas.
After being delayed for more than half an hour, the couple decided
to return home, but she began to deliver before arriving home. Her
daughter, a nurse, was summoned and assisted in the delivery,
which took place inside the car.

Banan Yusef and her baby. Photo: 'Abd al-Karim Sa'adi, B'Tselem

In the other case, which took place on 15 December 2007, Banan
Yusef entered labor and arrived at the gate at 2:50 A.M. Relatives
who were with her in the car got out and asked the two soldiers
standing next to the locked gate to let her pass so she could get to
the hospital, but they refused. At 4:30, after a delay of more than an
hour and a half, she began to deliver. By this stage, the gate had
been opened, as it is every day, to enable farmers and workers to
pass, and she was taken to a midwife in the nearby village of Habla.
As a result of the conditions of delivery, Yusef had to undergo surgery.

The parts of the Separation Barrier built inside the West Bank are
illegal and severely infringe human rights, and it is Israel’s duty to
dismantle them. If Israel believes that it requires a physical barrier
for security reasons, it must build it along the Green Line or on
Israeli soil. Until then, B'Tselem calls on the government of Israel
to dismantle the section surrounding ‘Azzun ‘Atmah, to enable the
village’s residents free access to their lands, and to return to them
the property that was siezed to build the barrier.
Until the section is torn down, Israel must keep the gate north of
‘Azzun ‘Atmah open around the clock so that residents can travel
to other parts of the West Bank and lead a normal life.

END

Caritas Jerusalem Communications Department

Samuel Martin - Communications Officer

P O Box 20894

Jerusalem 97200 Israel

Phone: 972 2 628 7574 x. 103

Fax: 972 2 628 8421

Email: communication@caritasjr.org

Website: www.caritasjr.org