PHOTOS: Israeli army blocks main roads to Palestinian villages

Photos and reporting by Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org

The Israeli army has blocked off with with concrete cubes, boulders and dirt seven main access roads to Palestinian villages in the Nablus area of the West Bank in recent days.

The roadblocks unmanned, and entirely block Palestinian residents from using their vehicles on the main roads leading in and out of their villages.

A Palestinian man passes by an Israeli army roadblock made of concrete, dirt and debris at the main entrance to the West Bank village of Beita, September 5, 2016. (Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)
A Palestinian man passes by an Israeli army roadblock made of concrete, dirt and debris at the main entrance to the West Bank village of Beita, September 5, 2016. (Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

The army-placed roadblocks are currently blocking the main entrances to the the villages of Beita, Burin and Einabus.

Similar roadblocks have been placed on the road that connect the village of Beita to Awarta, and the road that connects Odala and Tapuah Junction. The army placed another roadblock on the road connecting Highway 60 and the village of Madama.

A Palestinian driver stands in front of an Israeli army roadblock made of concrete, dirt and debris at the main entrance to the West Bank village of Burin, September 6, 2016. (Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)
A Palestinian driver stands in front of an Israeli army roadblock made of concrete, dirt and debris at the main entrance to the West Bank village of Burin, September 6, 2016. (Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

According to the villagers in Beita, the soldiers who blocked their road told them they were doing so in response to rocks that were thrown at vehicles on the major West Bank thoroughfare Highway 60.

Palestinian residents managed to clear the roadblocks in some locations, but soldiers returned to rebuild them shortly thereafter.

Two Palestinian men climb over an Israeli army roadblock made of concrete, dirt and debris at the main entrance to the West Bank village of Burin, September 6, 2016. (Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)
Two Palestinian men climb over an Israeli army roadblock made of concrete, dirt and debris at the main entrance to the West Bank village of Burin, September 6, 2016. (Ahmad Al-Bazz/Activestills.org)

An Israeli army spokesperson said in response that it placed the roadblocks after it registered increased stone throwing in recent months, in order to try and preventing stone throwers from escaping and to try and stop the incidents.

End of article module for Members

TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence.    We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies.   This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza.   We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives.   Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

Make a Donation