Arrested Development

Due to strict checkpoint examinations, village residents lack immediate access to medical care in neighboring cities. As a result, pregnant women often move out of their village homes in the last month of their pregnancy rather than risk delay at the checkpoint when they go into labor.

Due to restrictions on bringing goods through the Rehan-Barta’ah checkpoint, local prices have skyrocketed compared with other West Bank towns: a ten-pack of pita bread costs five shekels in nearby Jenin but ten shekels in Barta’ah a-Sharqiyah. Residents also face restrictions on the quantities of food they are permitted to bring with them through the checkpoint.

Families in Barta’ah a-Sharqiyah faced with economic hardship pressure their young sons to join the work force instead of secondary school. In the local boys’ high school, 40 of 210 students registered in the fall of 2010 subsequently dropped out. Additionally, teachers have trouble reaching the village and the area’s academic caliber has declined. Previously, some 70 percent of students received high school diplomas; now that figure is only about 40 percent.

A total of 7,650 dunams, or 63 percent of farmland belonging to Jayus, is stranded to the west of the barrier – under complete Israeli control. Access for village residents is severely curtailed by an inflexible permit regime and limited opening hours at crossing points.

Many villagers are denied permits to access their own farmland. The majority of permits granted are short-term, making agricultural planning difficult. Permits are also required for farm vehicles to cross the barrier. Only three farm vehicles owned by Jayus residents have the necessary permits. Therefore, most farmers are forced to reach their fields, several kilometers away, by donkey or on foot.

Annual agricultural production for the village fell from 9,000 to 4,000 tons after many farmers were denied the required permits. Restricted access has led farmers to uproot 2,000 dunams of their own fruit orchards of the 3,500 dunams they once cultivated.

The Separation Barrier encircles Qalqiliyah and thwarts development. Additionally, the Israeli military prohibits new construction in a strip 200 meters wide along the barrier. Approved new building in the city has dropped to 1.5 percent of all construction in the West Bank. These restrictions have transformed Qalqiliyah into one of the most densely populated cities in the West Bank. As of 2006, Qalqiliyah was more crowded than Gaza City.

Access to fewer jobs within Israel, new checkpoints, and a prohibition on Israelis entering the city have all contributed to Qalqiliyah’s weakened economy after the second Intifada. With entrance to the city restricted to a single checkpoint, the situation deteriorated further: 622 businesses closed and the commercial district in the western quarter is all but abandoned.

The number of Qalqiliyah residents needing assistance from welfare programs and social services rose from 4,855 persons in 2002 to 12,557 in 2011, an increase of 258 percent.

Bir Nabala, once a popular bedroom community of East Jerusalem, is now surrounded by the barrier. Nearly half its residents—most holding East Jerusalem residency—abandoned their homes and the city became a ghost town.

Since 1973 the town housed a large factory supplying floor tiles to the West Bank and Israel. The plant had 25 workers and its annual income was estimated at NIS 9 million. This enterprise, closed in 2008, is but one example of the dozens of businesses that have closed their doors since the construction of the barrier.

The al-Mawahel neighborhood of Bir Nabala, prior to the construction of the barrier, was home to some 250 families from East Jerusalem and about 30 small businesses. After the construction of the barrier, the neighborhood emptied out, leaving just a few families. Abandoned buildings were looted for windows and bathroom fixtures.