Since the early 1990s, Israel has restricted Palestinian movement in the West Bank. Prior to the second intifada, the restrictions were primarily intended to prevent Palestinians from entering Israel and East Jerusalem. During the second intifada, Israel established dozens of checkpoints and hundreds of physical obstructions inside the West Bank, including dirt mounds, concrete blocks, and trenches, and began construction of the Separation Barrier, with its gates. These restrictions were unprecedented in the history of the Israeli occupation in scope, duration, and severity of harm to Palestinians living in the West Bank.

In 2009, Israel reduced the number of checkpoints and obstructions, but at the end of 2010, there were still 99 checkpoints and 505 obstructions of various kinds (as counted by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs). The checkpoints and obstructions reflect Israel’s belief that freedom of movement is not a right, but a privilege that Israel may grant or deny as it wishes.

The existing restrictions are primarily aimed at controlling Palestinian movement and at channeling it to a few major checkpoints, depending on Israel’s needs. They are intended to keep Palestinian traffic away from the settlements, main roads used by settlers, and areas where Israel wants to strengthen its control and exclude Palestinians. Therefore, most of the checkpoints and obstructions are located on roads leading to Area C (the 60 percent of the West Bank under complete Israeli control), in East Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, enclaves west of the Separation Barrier, and the settlements in Hebron.