Altogether Now: Do the Restrictions Shuffle

Altogether Now- Do the Restrictions Shuffle.

The bureaucratic St. Vitus’ Dance more commonly known as negotiating the  nightmare that has replaced freedom of movement for Palestinians goes a little like this: Listen up class, I will be testing you all on it later.. but not as ruthlessly as the Israelis daily test Palestinians on it.

A PALESTINIAN from JERUSALEM who has a Jerusalem residence card issued by the Israelis may travel to the West Bank or 1948 territories (inside Israel). But an East Jerusalem Palestinian wanting to enter Gaza must give an acceptable reason to receive a permit usually limited to one day.

A PALESTINIAN from the WEST BANK with a West Bank residence card must apply for special authorisation in advance to go to Jerusalem or the 1948 territories. This is only given on production of a work contract or hospital certificate. The patient must travel alone to hospital unless a family member has also applied for and received a permit. It is not generally possible to visit the Muslim or Christian centres of worship in Jerusalem even on religious feasts. It is out of the question to go to Jerusalem for family visits or religious reasons without a permit.

A PALESTINIAN from GAZA must obtain special permission in advance to go to Jerusalem or anywhere in the State of Israel. If so s/he must go by way of Egypt and then Jordan to enter the West Bank. ( Think- travelling from Belfast to Dublin via Scotland and Liverpool)

A PALESTINIAN of 1948 Territories (in Israel) can theoretically go anywhere under Israeli jurisdiction except Gaza. There are also many restrictions for anyone originally from Gaza married to a Palestinian Israeli. The Gaza spouse may obtain an Israeli residence card but remains without a nationality, making foreign travel extremely complicated, if not impossible.

You still with me at the back of the class then?  Do try to keep up.

Okay now for the advanced class in Repression, once you have secured your particular pass card this does no necessarily mean that you get to pass Go automatically. Here are the definitions of the various points of access and egress through the WALL also known as the Barrier at which you will be required to present your permit:

(Please note the term Gate is used loosely, imagine if you will queues of Palestinians on foot or in vehicles, facing soldiers of the Israeli army or State Police with carte blanche to behave as they like no matter how valid the paperwork).

Agricultural Gate- allows access to agricultural fields, green houses and orchards located on opposite side of the Wall. Farmers must obtain a green permit to get to those fields.

Checkpoint Gate- is a crossing point from the West Bank into other West Bank areas under de facto Israeli jurisdiction (like East Jerusalem). These are manned by Israeli Border Police or members of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and are also used by Israeli settlers. However, Palestinians of the West Bank must have a permit to enter Israel. The Wall lies inside many WB areas so many of the gates are not located on the Green Line.

Military Gate- not permitted for Palestinian civilian use.

Road Gate- installed at the junction where the Wall blocks a road. Permits are required to cross the road gates and continue on the road.

School Gate- where Wall blocks a school route. The gate is opened during school hours to allow Palestinian schoolchildren and teachers across.

Seasonal Gate- closed to Palestinians except at harvest time. No official dates or times are posted for these gates. Otherwise they are used for military access.

Settlement Gate- Primarily used by settlers. They are officially opened to green permit holders but Palestinian farmers tend to avoid using them because of hostility from Israeli settlers.


With thanks to the Alternative Tourism Group:

Alternative Tourism Group