Skip to main content

The Humanitarian Impact of the Barrier [EN/AR]

Countries
oPt
Sources
OCHA
Publication date
Origin
View original

KEY FACTS

  • The Barrier consists of concrete walls, fences, ditches, razor wire, groomed sand paths, an electronic monitoring system, patrol roads, and a buffer zone.
  • The Barrier’s total length (constructed and projected) is approximately 712 km, more than twice the length of the 1949 Armistice (“Green”) Line.
  • Approximately 62% of the Barrier’s approved route is complete, a further 10% is under construction and 28% is planned but not yet constructed.
  • Some 85% of the Barrier’s route runs inside the West Bank, rather than along the Green Line; if completed as planned, the Barrier will isolate 9.4% of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
  • Nearly half of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank (71 out of 150) and over 85% of the settler population are located in the area between the Green Line and the Barrier’s route.
  • Around 11,000 Palestinians living in 32 communities located between the Barrier and the Green Line (hereafter: behind the Barrier), depend on the granting of permits or special arrangements to live in their own homes.
  • In 2013, a rerouting of a section the Barrier near Tulkarm was completed, allowing 350 people in the Khirbet Jubara community free access to the rest of the West Bank.
  • Palestinians with West Bank ID cards who are granted special permits can enter East Jerusalem through four of the 14 Barrier checkpoints around the city.
  • Approximately 150 Palestinian communities have land located behind the Barrier, forcing residents to seek special permits or ‘prior coordination’ to access it.
  • Access to agricultural land through the Barrier is channelled through 74 gates, the majority of which (52) only open during the olive harvest (October-December).
  • Despite the presence of the Barrier, between January and March 2013 at least 14,000 Palestinians without the required permits smuggled themselves every day into Israel to look for employment (PCBS).
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.