employed in Israel and Israeli colonies/settlements without permits.31 In
addition, by making the crossing without a permit illegal, this measure results
in great stress and danger for those who need to travel for work, visiting
family or seeking medical treatment.
Moreover, if the Annexation and Segregation Wall was constructed in order
to increase Israel’s security, then there would be no reason for the route not
to run along the Green Line. With a total planned route of 708 km the Wall
strays deep into the West Bank, effectively annexing Jewish-Israeli colonies
while entrapping Palestinian towns.
Furthermore, the ICJ stated in 2004 that “the infringements resulting from
that route cannot be justified by military exigencies or by the requirements
of national security or public order”.32 Moreover, the Court stated that it “is
not convinced that the construction of the Wall along the route chosen was
the only means to safeguard the interest of Israel against the peril which it
has invoked as justification for that construction.”33
Due to Israeli policies intended to encourage Jewish citizens to move to
colonies in the West Bank,34 the growth rate in these colonies between
2009 and 2014 was more than twice that seen inside Israel.35 This stands
in stark contrast to Israel’s security argument for building the Wall. If the
Palestinians living in the West Bank constitute such a threat to Jewish Israelis
that Palestinians from the West Bank need to be divided from residents of
Israel by the Wall, then it seems highly unlikely that Israel would encourage
and subsidize its Jewish citizens to move to the occupied West Bank at all, let
alone in such great numbers.
Ironically, restrictions on Palestinian movement are eased by Israel during both
Christian and Muslim religious holidays. If, during the year, tens of thousands
of Palestinians are denied entry into Israel for security reasons, why, then, are
they suddenly permitted entry during religious holidays? An individual who, in
June, is not allowed through the checkpoint even to pray, is suddenly permitted
31 Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, “Press Release on the Results of the Labour Force Survey
(January – March 2015) Round Main Results”, 19 May 2015, available at:www.pcbs.gov.ps/site/512/
default.aspx?tabID=512&lang=en&ItemID=1397&mid=3172&wversion=Staging
32 International Court of Justice, “Legal Consequences of the Construction of the Wall in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory, Advisory Opinion, ICJ Reports 2004”, 9 July 2004, page 61, http://www.icj-cij.
org/docket/files/131/1671.pdf
33 Ibid.,page 63.
34 B’Tselem, “Settlements Encouragement of migration to the settlements”, 9 May 2010, available
at:www.btselem.org/settlements/migration
35 The Associated Press, “West Bank Settlement Expansion Surged Under Netanyahu”, Haaretz.com, 15
December 2014. Available at: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.631924
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