Control with no Liability: New Report on Barta26 February 2006
Control with no Liability- New Report on Barta`aenclave
Physicians for Human Rights-Israelreleased a new report today focusing on the enclave ofBarta`a, which is trapped between the separation barrier andthe "green line". Inside the enclave live 5000 people. Themedical services, quality of life, economy and educationhave all suffered because of the fence s path. Israelignores its responsibility towards the residents andviolates international law.
A resident of'Araqa, trying to leave the enclave to go back to hisvillage on the Palestinian side of the wall, was arrested bysoldiers at the checkpoint. After engaging in aconfrontation with the soldiers, he was jailed in an ironcage adjacent to the passage. Several hours later, after hiscalls to the soldiers were ignored, he removed his belt fromhis pants and tried to hang himself.
TheBarta`a enclave, in the northwestern section of the WestBank, includes the villages of Barta'a al-Sharqia, Umal-Rihan, Daher al-Maleh, Khirbet Abdallah al-Yunis andKhirbet a-Sheikh Sa'ed. The residents lives have beenseverely affected by the path of the wall which separatesthem from the rest of the West Bank while they remaindisconnected from Israel as well- the villages are a "closedmilitary zone". There is one checkpoint, "Rihan", throughwhich the residents can leave and enter the enclave.Residents of the West Bank who are not residents of theenclave require a special permit to enter, and over onethird of the requests are denied.
Harm tothe Medical Services:
After the fence sconstruction in the area, the medical teams entry wasconditioned upon the receipt of a permit from the IsraeliCivil Administration, which involves a long applicationprocess and protracted waits at the checkpoint, whicheventually led to a decrease in their presence in thevillages. Moreover, the villages clinics lack themedicines and equipment needed for the villagers, and inmany cases vaccines do not arrive on time from Jenin due tothe long waits at the checkpoint. In both of the clinics inthe enclave no doctor is present most of the week and someof the ill prefer to travel to Barta`a al Gharbiya (inIsrael) instead of crossing the fence to the West Bank.There is a risk in going past the Green Line without apermit and they have to pay for the medical services. Inspite of Israel s complete control over all aspects of lifeinside the enclave, it does not supply the residents withthe medical treatment denied to them due their being trappedby the separation barrier.
UNRWA s medical teamwas recently barred from entering the enclave for over twomonths, during which time the village's patients who arerefugees were forced to travel elsewhere fortreatment.
Palestinian ambulances are typicallycalled in from Jenin and are not allowed to enter theenclave without special coordination with the Jenin DCO. Dueto the requirement for special coordination of emergencytransfer of patients, evacuation sometimes takes severalhours or longer, making it difficult to transfer patientsurgently to the hospital.
Damage to thequality of life:
Transfer of goods suchas food, water, medications, meat products, electronics andagricultural produce into Barta'a enclave requires a specialpermit. Vehicles on their way to enter and exit the enclave,especially those carrying goods, and vegetables, arerequired to wait for long periods for security checks. Inmany cases, residents are forced to discard food that hasspoiled as a result of prevention of their passage by thecheckpoint's soldiers. The soldiers do not allow cans to betransported into the enclave, claiming that their contentscannot be examined.
A resident arriving at thecheckpoint with two slaughtered chickens that he bought inJenin for his family was surprised to hear from the soldierat the checkpoint that transfer of foods into the enclavewas prohibited. The two chickens were taken from him andthrown away. Village residents claim that this happensfrequently and that checkpoint soldiers bar any food beyondfood for personal consumption from entering the enclave.
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel calls forthe dismantlement of the enclave which was created becauseof the path of the separation barrier which is not on theGreen Line- in spite of the advisory opinion of theInternational Court of Justice from 2004. As long as theenclave exists, passage of medical staff in general, andemergency medical staff in particular, must be allowedwithout conditioning this passage on coordination andpermits, and without delay.
It is uponIsrael, who has complete rule over the villages, to supplythe residents with their medical and social needs and tocompensate them for the harm to their livelihood andhealth.
To download the report, a map andto view pictures:
http://www.phr.org.il/phr/article.asp?articleid=310&catid=42&pcat=42&lang=ENG
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