“Palestinians Trapped at Crossings: Hurryyat Demands Immediate International Action”
The Center for Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights (Hurryyat) holds the Israeli occupation authorities fully responsible for the daily suffering of tens of thousands of Palestinian citizens crossing the bridges. This suffering includes not only the inhumane delays and overcrowding, especially during the summer months, but also the exposure to extreme heat, which poses serious risks to the lives and health of travelers — particularly children, women, the elderly, and those who are ill. These conditions amount to a violation of human dignity and fundamental rights.
Hurryyat also calls on the relevant authorities in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Palestinian National Authority to take immediate, effective, and tangible measures to ensure the smooth and dignified passage of travelers — without imposing additional financial burdens. Despite this endless suffering, the occupation authorities continue to impose severe restrictions on the movement of travelers, restricting operating hours at the Karameh crossing and closing it at 2:00 PM. They also refuse to keep the crossing open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Hurryyat considers this refusal a form of collective punishment against the Palestinian people, in clear violation of fundamental human rights. It contradicts the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international conventions that guarantee the right to freedom of movement, travel, and transportation.
The Center also stresses that the policy imposed on Palestinian citizens is neither transit nor exceptional. It is a recurring reality that has intensified significantly since October 7, as part of a broader retaliatory strategy by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
Entire villages, cities, and refugee camps have effectively become open-air prisons — surrounded by iron gates and subjected to a suffocating siege. The Israeli occupation controls their entry and exit at will. Across the West Bank, more than 998 military checkpoints and gates fragment the territory, severing its north from its center and south.
These restrictions are accompanied by daily humiliation, violations of human dignity, and severe suffering during travel — exposing civilians to danger not only from the checkpoints themselves but also from the escalating violence of settler attacks.
Hurryyat calls on the international community — including the United Nations and its Secretary-General, the European Union, and all international human rights organizations — to urgently condemn the Israeli policies that degrade the dignity of Palestinians and deprive them of their most basic rights. It further urges these bodies to exert effective pressure on the Israeli government to keep the Karameh crossing open 24/7 and to dismantle all military checkpoints, iron gates, and concrete barriers, in order to uphold Palestinians’ fundamental right to freedom of movement.
Center for the Defense of Liberties and Civil Rights
17/7/2025