Jenin residents barred from traveling `“until further notice`; Israeli blockade affects daily lif

It took Jamil Khairi, a Jenin resident, seven hours to arrive to his home city from Ramallah during which he was forced to navigate difficult dirt roads in order to avoid Israeli barriers.

Israeli forces announced that Jenin residents are barred from traveling, “until further notice.”

He was in Ramallah for medical exams and normally even the dirt road route takes two hours, not seven. Without Israeli forces, the trip should take less than one.

Khairi told PNN Thursday, “I tried several times recently to travel to Ramallah City, but every time we get one of the barriers, soldiers refused to allow us to pass because we live in Jenin.”

Khairi continued, “When the Israeli soldiers feel themselves to discover the identity of our home city, they hurl upon us restrictions, insults, anger, and beatings.”

He had more to his story. “I always bring with me medical reports and present them, yet still they refuse to allow me to travel. Therefore, after long suffering and waiting, I traveled a difficult and bitter path.”

The Jenin District has suffered under a tight Israeli military siege for three months. Palestinian sources indicate that Israeli forces have imposed dozens of roadblocks, converting Jenin into a virtual prison. Regardless of any reason, Palestinian residents of the northern West Bank district are not allowed to move.

Even the ill are affected by the Israeli actions. Ahmed Yousef Suleiman, suffering from heart disease, was prevented from medical services on several occasions. This is the case for many ill Jenin residents, including those in urgent need of more modern medical facilities in Ramallah, Nablus, and Jerusalem.

The affects on the unemployment rate are high as well. Jenin resident working in Nablus, Ala Dhiab, told PNN, “I finally found work in Nablus, but for over two months have been not allowed to go.”

Officer Burhan Ziah said he was threatened to lose his job in Ramallah City due to his inability to attend work. According to local sources, hundreds of staff have been threatened by the loss of their work in light of the continuation of this tragic reality.

Palestinian students are also paying a high price. Abdul Rahman said that due to the travel blockade he has only attended his university four times in the past months. When he does make it, just like other students, the travel time sometimes takes the entire day.

The Jenin District as a whole is suffering from a lack of basic goods, including food, medical and building supplies, while the agricultural sector can barely earn a dime.

Palestinians cannot see their families who live in other areas of the West Bank. Khalid Saif told PNN that he was unable to attend a funeral in his uncle’s home. Others cannot see their small children as they are stuck outside.

A mother said that she used to visit her children regularly “to reassure them. We are blocked from all aspects of our lives under the pretext of ‘security.’”

The mother asked, “How long will the occupation control our lives and impose unjust restrictions on us?”