Closed Since the Beginning of the War on Iran
15/6/2025 – Union for Justice Foundation
Since last Friday, Israeli occupation authorities have continued to close most of the checkpoints and iron gates surrounding cities, towns, and villages in the West Bank, effectively turning Palestinian areas into large prisons that are difficult to exit or move between.
According to the “Union for Justice Foundation,” the occupation installed four new gates in the past three days: east of Bethlehem on the road between the villages of Tuqu’ and Za’tara; at the entrance of Hizma town northeast of Jerusalem; at the entrance of Duma village south of Nablus; and at the northern entrance of Sinjil town north of Ramallah.
According to the foundation, the number of military checkpoints and iron gates installed by the occupation in the West Bank has reached 902, including 150 added after October 7, 2023.
The foundation explained that since the beginning of the attack on Iran, the occupation authorities have tightened the closure of most entrances to Palestinian villages, towns, and cities, preventing citizens from moving through these barriers. This is considered a form of collective punishment in violation of human rights, emphasizing that the right to freedom of movement is guaranteed under international law.
It added: “In contrast to this Israeli restriction on Palestinian citizens’ movement, Israeli settlers enjoy full freedom of movement on roads built specifically for them on Palestinian land.”
The “Union for Justice Foundation” points out that the tightening of movement through these closures has deprived thousands of citizens from reaching their workplaces, prevented many farmers from accessing their lands, and barred thousands of students and teachers from reaching their schools and universities. It has also stopped some patients from reaching hospitals and medical centers.
Al-Aqsa Mosque Closed for the First Time Since COVID-19
In addition to the closure of gates and checkpoints in the West Bank, Israeli occupation authorities closed the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem last Friday and prevented worshippers from performing Friday prayers—for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The occupation has also continued to close the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron since early Friday morning, under the pretext of a declared state of emergency amid the current escalation with Iran.
A Look at Israel’s Objectives
Beyond the security and military justifications promoted by the occupation authorities for placing and periodically closing these checkpoints and gates in the face of Palestinians, there are other underlying goals that can be read between the lines.
Through these military checkpoints and gates, the occupation aims to fragment the already-divided Palestinian areas into small geographic pockets that are easier to control, dominate, and subdue. This also serves to harm the already-struggling Palestinian economy, which is suffering due to the withholding of public employee salaries and the denial of work permits for thousands of laborers in the areas occupied in 1948. These checkpoints have increased the cost of transporting goods between Palestinian cities and regions and caused shortages in local markets.
These military checkpoints and gates have become places where Palestinians lose valuable time, sometimes waiting over 10 hours just to reach their workplace or home. This often involves humiliation, psychological stress, and sometimes ends in arrest, severe beatings, or being shot dead under flimsy security pretexts.
Furthermore, the occupation aims to alter the Palestinian demographic landscape by forcing citizens to crowd into major cities and pushing some to leave village life—especially in areas near settlements and military zones—for cities classified as Area A.
From a psychological perspective, these gates and checkpoints are no longer just pieces of metal or cement blocks separating two locations. They have become a central symbol of the systematic control imposed daily on Palestinians, a tool for generating helplessness and psychological surrender to the occupation’s plans. They are intended to instill in the Palestinian consciousness a persistent feeling of isolation, weakness, and dependence.
