B’Tselem-The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories - September 23, 2008 - Back to Resources Page

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For years, Israeli authorities have both barred Palestinian access to rings of land
surrounding settlements, and have not acted to eliminate settlers’ piratical closing
of lands adjacent to settlements and blocking of Palestinian access to them. Denying
access is one of the many ways used to expand settlements. In recent years,
Israel has institutionalized the closing of such lands in an attempt to retroactively
sanction the unauthorized placement of barriers far from the houses at the edge of
the settlements.

Settlers pave patrol roads and place physical obstructions on Palestinian lands
adjacent to settlements, at times with the authorities’ approval, at others not.
Settlers also forcibly drive Palestinians, primarily farmers, out of lands. B’Tselem
has documented, among others, cases of shooting, threats of shooting and killing,
beatings with various instruments, stone throwing, use of attack dogs, attempts to
run over Palestinians, vandalizing of farming equipment and crops, theft of crops,
killing and theft of livestock and animals used for labor, unauthorized demands to
see identification cards, and theft of documents.

Not only do the authorities fail to take sufficient action to end the violence and
prosecute lawbreakers, they also join the lawbreakers and deny Palestinian access
themselves. Soldiers regularly expel Palestinians from their farmland, often
under the direction of settlers. Israel has also established a physical system of
barriers – barbed-wire fences, patrol roads, illumination devices and electronic
sensors – far from the homes at the edge of the settlements, in effect annexing
large swaths of land to the settlements.

To download the full report please click below:

Attachment	Size
200809_Access_Denied_Eng.pdf	2.98 MB

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B’Tselem-The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories - September 23, 2008 - Back to Resources Page