Palestinian Villages under Threat

Palestinians are forced to live in Ghettos due to deliberate Israeli policies. West Bank Ghettos exist in 78 localities and 27 enclaves with 266,442 Palestinian residents
surrounded by barbed wire, walls and control towers. At the end of 2007, the creation of six Ghetto areas in the West Bank were visible:

• The Northern Ghetto – Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Nablus
• The Central Ghetto – Salfit and Ramallah
• The Southern Ghetto – Hebron and Bethlehem
• The Jordan Valley
• The Gaza Strip
• Jerusalem.

For the residents of these Ghettos their daily existence falls far below internationally accepted standards of living. The physical restrictions and Israeli Occupation policies control planning measures so that there is no possibilty that these villages and towns can expand to meet the needs of the rising population figures.

Roadblocks and checkpoints make movement between Ghettos extremely difficult and in many cases, movement is actually impossible. The consequent impact on social
relations, eduction, health, and commercial activity
is huge.


The Ghettos which Israel has created for Palestinians serve a dangerous dual purpose. Firstly, they exert severe economic and social pressure on the Palestinian population in order to force them to leave. Secondly, they facilitate the expansion of Jewish settlements on confiscated Palestinian land.

Most Palestinians are determined not to be forced from their homes. As one resident of Nu’man Village states:
The issue is...the creation of an atmosphere for silent transfer, to create a situation where we ourselves reach the conclusion that our lives are unliveable. We will not live the Nakba twice...we are staying here, we are not leaving
(Jamal Der’awi).

The price they are paying for not leaving their homes is a heavy one, as they exist as disparate and Ghettoised communities.
Three Clear Types of Ghettos:
Type 1: Encircled and Controlled
Type 2: Between the Wall and the Green Line
Type 3: Under Immediate Threat of Expulsion
Encircled and Controlled
WHAT: Villages and suburbs walled from three sides and tightly controlled from the fourth side with the imposition of severe movement restrictions such as checkpoints.
THOSE AFFECTED: 60 localities in 17 enclaves affecting 257,265 persons residing east of the Wall. Within the six Ghettos, there are two types of enclaves. The first is a cluster of small villages surrounded by the Wall from all sides. This affects the villages around Jerusalem. The second type consists of individually isolated villages surrounded by the Wall with no free access to the rest of the West Bank, like Qalqilya.
CONDITIONS: Access and movement is severely impeded. Some villages only have one access gate, which can be opened or closed on the whim of Occupation force soldiers manning it. In certain cases, access is possible only through a fortified
tunnel underneath an apartheid road, which is a highway built for use by Jewish settlers only, and off bounds to Palestinians.
Unemployment has soared and many residents are now aid
dependent. Others have been forced to relocate within
Palestine or have left the country altogether. In many places commercial activity has halted, access to health services is
impeded and children’s education is hampered.
Between the Wall and the Green Line ,,,WHAT: Villages and population centres to the west of the Wall and to the east of the Green Line.

THOSE AFFECTED: 17 localities in 10 enclaves affecting 8,557 persons.

CONDITIONS: Access is only possible through gates with restricted opening hours and systematic search procedures. The following six restrictions are in force at the access points:
1. No non-resident can enter these areas and children under 16 must show birth certificates.

2. Ambulances, doctors, teachers, technicians, human rights NGOs and humanitarian groups cannot enter these areas without permission of a special permit.

3. Building, agricultural expansion or even maintenanceactivity is forbidden without a permit, which is almost impossible to obtain.

4. Humiliating control measures are strictly implemented
causing serious delays to travel. Physical attacks, forced removal of clothing, confiscation of personal belongings and general harassment are commonplace.

5. Persons wishing to pass are restricted in the amount of food products they are allowed to bring across the access point. Pesticides, medical and agricultural products are banned under the pretext of security.

6. Official gate opening hours are often not adhered to and
access points are frequently closed arbitrarily for periods
ranging between one hour and a full week, during which
residents are stranded.

Most of the affected villages lack basic services and
infrastructure and are dependant on nearby city centres for health and educational facilities. They are cut off from services and the isolation has a disastrous effect on social relations, as families have become stranded and a special permit is needed even for emergency visits.
Under Immediate Threat of Expulsion WHAT: Almost all of these villages are affected by either type 1 or type 2 isolation. However, the inhabitants of these villages face imminent desruction of their homes, displacement and transfer.

THOSE AFFECTED: 14 localities affecting 6,314 people, under immediate threat of expulsion. Almost all of the villages are subject to type 1 or type 2 isolation. The exception is ‘Ein Jwaiza, which is not completely isolated, but nonethless under
immediate threat of demolition.
CONDITIONS: Israel does not recognise the legality of the residents or the title deeds to their properties. The Occupation considers their land as belonging to the Israeli state. They have no development master plans and all requests for construction permits are refused.
In 1948, 531 Palestinain villages were destroyed to clear the land for Jewish settlement. This policy of razing and re-settlement continues today with threats to West Bank villages, which Israel wants to annex.