Bethlehem, MINA – The Israeli occupation forces have tightened their siege on the Bethlehem governorate in the southern occupied West Bank, dividing and isolating the governorate using 89 military gates, barriers and concrete blocks, Palestine Chronicle reported.
As a result, Palestinians are forced to use small and limited roads to exit or enter the governorate, bypassing military checkpoints where Israeli occupation forces search their cars, check citizens’ identities and detain civilians. The new restrictions have further disrupted the daily lives of Palestinians.
These steps taken by the Israeli army are in line with the ongoing attacks by settlers in the southern, western and eastern areas of the province, with the aim of terrorizing Palestinians and expelling them from their lands in order to seize them and build illegal Jewish settlements that separate Palestinian communities.
Hassan Breijieh, a researcher in the field of settlements, said that the Israeli occupation forces have installed 53 military gates in Bethlehem province since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, most of which are permanently closed so that Palestinians cannot pass through them. Cement blocks have been placed on about 36 other roads.
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These closures, in addition to the difficult economic conditions in the province, and the increase in the number of families falling below the poverty line to 36 percent, have made living conditions in the province very difficult in terms of movement and the ability to meet daily needs, according to the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce and Industry. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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