Israel to Divide West Bank into 8 Isolated Cantons

Israel to Divide West Bank into Eight Isolated Cantons

May 19, 2002
Palestine Media Center-PMC

As part of its racist regime of separation and discrimination, whereby the rights of individuals are based on their nationality, Israel has decided to divide the West Bank into eight separate and isolated cantons. It has also decided to prohibit Palestinian civilians from traveling between Palestinian cities, unless they have "internal movement permits" which they have to attain from the so-called civil administration.

Under such a racist system, the Palestinian People have to apply for "permits" to enable them to travel. At the same time, Israel is also enforcing a curfew on the Palestinians, as the permits are valid from 5:00 am until 7:00 pm and must be renewed every month.

Moreover, this system also means that goods can only be transported within the Palestinian Territory using a "back-to-back system" in which a truck goes to a certain location where goods are unloaded to another awaiting truck, which then carries the merchandise further. Thus, such a measure would further damage economic activity in the Occupied Territory, which has already been devastated by the Israeli occupation army's siege policy.

Meanwhile, Palestinian pedestrians and drivers have been left with one entrance into the area, which can be crossed only after receiving the movement permit.

Israel has already informed international organizations and representatives to the PNA, which employ a large number of Palestinian workers, to henceforth apply to the civilian district office to request the "movement permits" for their employees, who would not be allowed inside Jerusalem or Israel proper.

Minister of Culture and Information Yasser Abed Rabbo warned against the dangerous implications of such a racist plan, which aims to install an apartheid system in Palestine as a final status solution. He also emphasized that Israel's plan is to gradually reinstate the Israeli military occupation's control over the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with this plan being a first stage.

ENDS

© Scoop Media