Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, deplores the statements released by the so-called Minister of Interior Security in the Israeli government, Itimar Ben Gvier, where he denied the Palestinians the right to freedom of mobility. The mentioned minister said: “The Israelis’ right to life is more important than Palestinians’ right to freedom of mobility and I will provide the Israelis with weapons to protect themselves”. Through such a statement, the Israeli minister tends to legalize the attacks of the Israeli settlers against Palestinians. SHAMS Center added that the mentioned statements come within the campaign that Ben Gvier launched against Palestinians and the incitement against them and the tendency to deprive them of freedom of mobility, especially during the month of Ramadan.
The Center deplores the policy of siege, closure, and banning movement, imposed by the Israeli occupation, on Palestinians in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Such a policy is applied at the time the war on the Gaza Strip and the denial of entry of life essentials including food, water, medicine, and fuel, are going on. The West Bank is disfigured by a series of military checkpoints and preventing Palestinians from mobility as well as closing the main roads that connect the Palestinian localities with each other. Palestinians from the West Bank are not allowed to access Jerusalem and workers are denied access to their work sites inside Israel. Currently, there are 750 military checkpoints in the West Bank (permanent ones) and another 230 iron gates at the entrances of the Palestinian cities, towns, villages, and refugee camps. In addition to that, some roads are closed with cemetery blocks and dirt. On a related level, there is a noticeable increase in the military operations and incursions of the Palestinian cities, towns, villages, and refugee camps. Curfew is imposed on Palestinians from time to time and they are denied the right to freedom of mobility on some roads and streets in the West Bank that are exclusive for the usage of settlers. Many of the Palestinian shops and stores on the main streets used by settlers are closed by military orders from the Israeli army. Closing these shops affected the income of Palestinians and contributed to destroying the Palestinian economy. Employees and workers are not allowed to reach their work sites due to the restrictions imposed by the occupation and students are not allowed to access their educational institutions. Trade between the Palestinian governorates is blocked as a result of the Israeli checkpoints. These practices reveal the racism and apartheid policy that the Israeli occupation is applying against Palestinians.
SHAMS Center affirms that confiscating the right to freedom of mobility by an official decision from the Israeli government represents a profound violation of international humanitarian law. The Israeli government violates, in particular, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 13 of the Declaration stipulates: “Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state”. Additionally, it violates the International Covenant on Civic and Political Rights as Article 12 of the Covenant states: “Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own”.
SHAMS Center calls on the secretary- general of the United Nations, The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, governmental/ nongovernmental organizations, and the international consuls in Palestine, to fulfill their responsibility and exert pressure on the occupation state to stop its arrogance procedures against Palestinians and end the apartheid regime as well as allowing Palestinians to enjoy freedom to mobility.