What Israel calls progress, Palestinians see as oppression
Israel says it will streamline checkpoint procedures to facilitate Palestinians' movements, but some see the promise as merely a public relations move and a reminder of the occupation.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Israeli army will make improvements at military checkpoints in the West Bank and Jerusalem, Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Yoav Mordechai announced May 26. But not everyone sees that as good news.
On his Facebook page, titled “The Coordinator,” Mordechai posted in Arabic, “It has been decided to renew and improve checkpoints in the West Bank, [to] increase the number of Palestinian workers allowed to pass through to their workplaces in Israel, improve waiting conditions and adopt advanced technology at all checkpoints.” He said this plan — which Israel estimates will cost 300 million shekels ($78 million) to implement — will increase the amount of goods that pass through Israeli checkpoints by 30% and reduce wait times some 30% to 50%.
However, the Palestinian Ministry of Civil Affairs, which handles civil coordination with Israeli, said it was not aware of the proposed improvements. "We did not receive any information in this regard," Imad Qaraqreh, the director of public relations and information for the ministry, told Al-Monitor.
The Israeli army has erected dozens of checkpoints in the West Bank, and between the Green Line and the West Bank, since the occupation in 1967, but Israel tightened its security measures after the second intifada began in September 2000. In May 2015, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the occupied territories (B'Tselem) noted that the number of fixed checkpoints set up in the West Bank had reached 96 — 57 set up deep in the West Bank, and 39 that are considered final checkpoints before entering Israel.
