Jerusalem: Israeli occupation forces on Monday tightened movement restrictions at two major checkpoints serving as entrances to the northern occupied city of Jerusalem, according to local sources. The occupation forces increased security measures at the Qalandiya and al-Jib checkpoints, resulting in significant traffic congestion and obstructing the movement of Palestinians traveling to and from occupied Jerusalem.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Qalandiya and al-Jib military checkpoints are among the main crossings controlling movement between the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem. Qalandiya Checkpoint previously operated 24 hours a day until the outbreak of Israel's aggression against Gaza, allowing Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem and West Bank residents holding permits to enter Israel. It was closed to Palestinian travel on October 7, 2023, and reopened for East Jerusalem residents on October 23, 2023, with limited operating hours. It reopened to West Bank residents with permits on February 7, 2024, while remaining closed on Fridays.
Al-Jib Checkpoint is a permanently staffed crossing in the Israeli apartheid and segregation barrier, west of the village of al-Jib, staffed by Border Police and private security companies.
The occupation forces have increased military measures across the occupied West Bank following the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners as part of the Gaza ceasefire on January 19, 2025. The restrictions have been further tightened since the onset of the Israeli-Iranian war, isolating cities and governorates with military gates, barriers, and concrete blocks.
In tandem with these measures, Israeli colonists have been conducting attacks across the West Bank to displace Palestinians and build illegal Jewish colonies, further separating Palestinian communities.
Israel imposes severe restrictions on Palestinians' freedom of movement within the occupied West Bank through a complex combination of approximately 898 fixed and flying checkpoints and gates, including 18 gates installed since early 2025 and 146 others since October 7, 2023. This setup includes settler-only roads, over 200 military bases, and various other physical obstructions.
These closures, along with other security measures, aim to entrench Israel's long-standing military occupation of the West Bank and its settler colonial project, which is enforced with routine and frequently deadly violence against Palestinians.