Ramallah:Hundreds of Palestinian families remain stuck in their vehicles for hours at the Atara checkpoint, located north of Ramallah, due to tightened Israeli restrictions. The checkpoint, which is permanently staffed, has been sealed off by occupation forces, resulting in large numbers of vehicles backed up and long queues stretching significant distances.
According to Palestine news & Information Agency - WAFA - English, the Ein Sinya checkpoint, also north of Ramallah, has been similarly closed, forcing Palestinians to endure prolonged waits in their vehicles. Israel periodically enforces closures on the West Bank for various reasons, including Jewish holidays. The current closure, coinciding with the Jewish festival of Sukkot, is scheduled from September 27 to October 3.
While Israeli settlers can move freely across the occupied West Bank and even enter Palestinian villages and towns under army protection, Palestinians face long waits at closed checkpoints. The military measures were intensified following the release of 90 Palestinian prisoners as part of a Gaza ceasefire on January 19, 2025. These restrictions have been further tightened in the context of the Israeli-Iranian war, using military gates, barriers, and concrete blocks to isolate cities and governorates.
The Israeli military measures coincide with ongoing attacks by Israeli settlers across the West Bank, which aim to terrorize Palestinians and displace them from their lands to establish illegal Jewish colonies, separating Palestinian communities. Israel's complex network of 942 checkpoints and barriers severely restricts Palestinians' freedom of movement within the West Bank. These include 824 fixed checkpoints, 118 linear barriers, settler-only roads, over 200 military bases, and various other obstructions.
Closures and other measures, taken under the guise of security, aim to reinforce Israel's 59-year-old military occupation of the West Bank and its settler colonial project, enforced with routine and often deadly violence against Palestinians.