West Bank ‘paralysed’ by Israeli checkpoints as Gaza war rages

Israeli checkpoints and movement restrictions in the West Bank have worsened since the Gaza war, causing long commutes and detours for Palestinians.

To arrive at work in Jerusalem on time, Murad Khalid must be at the Israeli checkpoint by 3:00 a.m., despite living nearby in the occupied West Bank — a constant challenge made worse by the Gaza war.

The 27-year-old said he and other residents of Kafr Aqab neighbourhood in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem — located on the West Bank side of the barrier — are subjected to a “security check that may take an hour for each car” at Qalandia crossing.

Israeli movement restrictions have long made life difficult for the three million Palestinians living in the West Bank.

But since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, traffic has become “paralysed”, said Palestinian Authority official Abdullah Abu Rahmah. The number of checkpoints and barriers in the Palestinian territory has greatly increased since October 7, adding hours to already lengthy commutes and forcing residents to either wait at the checkpoints or take long detours.

Largely unaffected are the 4,90,000 Israelis living across the West Bank in settlements — considered illegal under international law — who can bypass Palestinian communities on roads built especially for them. It used to take accountant Amer al-Salameen just half an hour to drive from his home in the city of Ramallah to his parent’s village Al-Samou.

‘Exhausting journey’

But with the new restrictions, the journey has turned into an “exhausting, tiring, and uncomfortable” four hours, said the 47-year-old.