Israeli rights group B'Tselem slams West Bank checkpoints as 'illegal' - Haaretz

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Sun., August 12, 2007 Av 28, 5767

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Last update - 10:35 07/08/2007

Israeli rights group B'Tselem slams West Bank checkpoints as 'illegal'

By DPA

Israeli rights group B'Tselem said Tuesday most of the dozens of manned checkpoints and hundreds more physical roadblocks set up in the West Bank are "illegal" and constitute collective punishment.

B'Tselem stated in a report that some 47 Israel Defense Forces checkpoints and 455 physical obstructions on roads currently exist throughout the West Bank.

The roadblocks were originally erected in response to "specific security threats" during and since the outbreak of the current Palestinian Intifada (uprising) against Israel almost seven years ago, the human rights group conceded.

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But since then, their purpose has also become to facilitate the safe passage of settlers on roads restricted to Palestinians, B'Tselem said, calling this an "ulterior interest" that made many of the roadblocks illegal under international law.

On a total of some 312 kilometres of main roads in the West Bank, cars with Palestinian license plates are forbidden or restricted, the organization said.

"Even if all the restrictions are intended to achieve legitimate security interests, many of them would violate the principle of proportionality and therefore are illegal," the report said.

B'Tselem said the roadblocks split the West Bank into six hardly-connected sections, and make it complicated for Palestinians to reach medical services, travel to work, transport goods and visit relatives.

The restrictions therefore gravely affect economy and trade in the West Bank because of the high costs of transportation, impede social and family ties and even harm law enforcement, the report warned.

The human rights group called on Israel to "immediately remove all" restrictions on movement in the West Bank, including its security fence, and evacuate all settlements there.

The Justice Ministry said in a reaction that the roadblocks were erected to protect Israeli citizens and that they were put in place after a "long range of" of suicide and shooting attacks by Palestinian militants since the beginning of the Intifada in September 2000.

The roadblocks have in the past years prevented hundreds of attacks "aimed at Israel's civilian population," said the ministry.

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1.	collective punishment	10:35	\|	scallywag	07/08/07

2.	Yawn - so they support their contributors	10:54	\|	Binyamin Dissen	07/08/07

3.	so is speeding on the way to the hospital, BUT.......	12:19	\|	zaq	07/08/07

4.	The enemies within Israel	12:47	\|	Chaim Gorenstein	07/08/07

5.	Send Btselem to Sderot, or expel the traitors!	14:08	\|	Nannette	07/08/07

6.	Btselem was a trustworthy institution.	14:49	\|	Hannah	07/08/07

7.	Israel like many of its neighbours is human rights abuse monster	15:18	\|	anti-racist	07/08/07

8.	anti-racist	15:47	\|	* BEN JABO	07/08/07

9.	B`Sheker never slams Arab Muslim Islamist Jihadi Terrorists	15:50	\|	Genuine Tosefta	07/08/07

10.	To Canadian Racist: If Israel is like this Canada is too	15:58	\|	Genuine Tosefta	07/08/07

11.	LEFTIST TERRORIESTS !!!!	16:01	\|	ILSupporter	07/08/07

12.	#5 Nannnette You forget one thing, which is that...	16:03	\|	Don Camillo	07/08/07

13.	#6 Hannah please don`t fall into this obvious trap..	16:10	\|	Don Camillo	07/08/07

14.	Typical rubbish	16:16	\|	Goldberg	07/08/07

15.	#14 Goldberg (I`ll bet)	17:23	\|	* BEN JABO	07/08/07

16.	Don Camillo if you`re such a humanist	17:43	\|	Hannah	07/08/07

17.	12 Don Camillo, what Islamic state offer protection of Geneva???	17:53	\|	Nannette	07/08/07

18.	FALSE HANNAH ALERT! #6, 15	17:59	\|	Hannah	07/08/07

19.	"Principle of proportionality" - Unknown to IDF?	18:09	\|	Principle	07/08/07

20.	Silly article - of course you need the checkpoints!	18:19	\|	pace306	07/08/07

21.	#15 Hannah	18:20	\|	Don Camillo	07/08/07

22.	Camillo	19:17	\|	Hannah	07/08/07

23.	Genuine Tosefta is Ignorant	19:56	\|	matthew	07/08/07

24.	Thank You B`Tselem - An Israeli Voice Of Sanity In a Sea Of Hate	20:08	\|	chet	07/08/07

25.	Road Blocks	20:31	\|	George	07/08/07

26.	#20, Matthew from the Bronx	00:37	\|	Silvienne	08/08/07

27.	Road Blocks 2	00:40	\|	Silvienne	08/08/07

28.	#19, Don Camillo	00:42	\|	Silvienne	08/08/07

29.	#19 Camillo - which report??	22:11	\|	* BEN JABO	08/08/07

30.	#19 Camillo - My #19 was sent to u in error	22:13	\|	* BEN JABO	08/08/07

31.	#28 Silvienne - I`ll make a guess	22:17	\|	* BEN JABO	08/08/07

32.	Ben Jabo...	03:03	\|	Silvienne	09/08/07

33.	#32 Silvienne	01:53	\|	* BEN JABO	10/08/07

34.	#33, Ben Jabo, this is what I think...	09:14	\|	Silvienne	11/08/07

35.	#34 Silvienne - re; Camillo	16:52	\|	* BEN JABO	12/08/07

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