Silent Siege: How Israel Used the war with Iran to Lock Down the West Bank
Israel’s tightened measures in the occupied West Bank have robbed Palestinians of their freedom of movement, writes Fayhaa Shalash.
As soon as Israel attacked Iran two weeks ago, the army tightened its security grip on the occupied West Bank, obstructing the movement of Palestinians and confining them to their cities and villages, which have been transformed into isolated residential areas.
These measures have robbed Palestinians of their freedom of movement, to the point that university and educational institutions have switched to remote working, and the streets of major cities have been emptied of people.
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In addition, Israel closed the iron gates it had previously installed at the entrances to dozens of villages and towns and tightened its security measures at the more than 900 military barriers.
Concrete blocks were present under the pretext of “security reasons,” as the Israeli army suddenly closed several roads and prevented Palestinian movement, completely disrupting their lives. Meanwhile, illegal settlers continued to move freely without any obstacles.
Racist Measures
These racist measures are applied from time to time to Palestinians under the pretext of security needs, violating their right to movement, worship, education, and normal life in the West Bank.
However, the closure issue wasn’t the only one troubling Palestinians.
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Coinciding with the war with Iran, Israeli soldiers began occupying hundreds of homes across the West Bank, turning them into military barracks where soldiers live for days.
The goal is to hide soldiers instead of stationing them in known military camps in case they are bombed. It also gives them greater control over several areas without regard for the fate of their residents.
Home ‘Brutally Stormed’
Hassan Qaddoumi, from the town of Jayyus, east of Qalqilya, was one of the Palestinians whose homes were recently occupied. Soldiers stormed his home at 3:00 AM on Sunday, expelling its residents and seizing control of the home.
He told the Palestine Chronicle that the soldiers banged on the door violently before blowing it up.
They didn’t wait for the residents to take any belongings with them, forcing them out. His family and his brother’s family, who lived downstairs, were forced to stay at another brother’s house in another neighborhood.
“They brutally stormed the house and expelled us. They said they would stay there for days.
As we left, carrying our children, the soldiers arrested my brother and me and assaulted us. They herded our wives and children into a room inside the house,” he explained.