09/23/2003

Some three and a half million Palestinians (among whom are 1.5 million registered refugees) living in the Occupied Territories are often confined to their towns, villages, and camps by closures enforced by Israeli permit systems, checkpoints, and roadblocks.  According to a recent UN report, more than 100 checkpoints, combined with another 300-400 ditches and earth mounds, continue to restrict Palestinians to their homes or immediate surroundings and prevent individuals from reaching medical and education services.  Trips of a few short miles, where they are possible or permitted, take hours.