Mapping Israel’s 300 checkpoints: Where they are and how they work

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Israel has sealed off the occupied West Bank for a week, a closure ordered by Defence Minister Israel Katz on the military’s recommendation and set to last until Saturday. The restriction was imposed around the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and further limits Palestinian movement, including access to religious sites in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The article says the closure has added to an existing system of more than 300 Israeli checkpoints and barriers across the West Bank, which the UN says are among 925 obstacles affecting movement for 3.4 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Al Jazeera describes staffed checkpoints, partial checkpoints, road gates, closures, earth mounds and roadblocks, noting that many are frequently closed or only intermittently open.

Al Jazeera highlights several major checkpoints, including Qalandiya near Ramallah and East Jerusalem, Checkpoint 300 between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, Eyal near Qalqilya, Taybeh near Tulkarem and Tarqumiyah near Hebron. It says these barriers force longer routes for travel to work and school and can delay access to medical care.

The report also places the closure in a wider context of tightened restrictions since the Gaza war began in October 2023, including a sharp drop in the number of Palestinians able to work in Israel. More broadly, it points to the economic and mobility impact of Israel’s occupation and the expanding checkpoint network.