West Bank road blocks hitting emergency calls

Israeli roadblocks and checkpoints within the West Bank are preventing Palestinians from obtaining health care and endangering the entire Palestinian emergency medical system, according to a report.

A joint study, conducted by the Israeli human rights group B’tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, revealed that sweeping restrictions on movement within the West Bank were blocking ambulances from reaching patients and hospitals, even in urgent medical emergencies.

According to B’tselem, several dozen Palestinians have died due to delays at checkpoints.

The Israeli army declined to comment on the details of the report, but repeated its long-standing position that delays are necessary for “security reasons”. The army also said Palestinian militants had used ambulances and medical personnel for carrying out attacks against Israelis.

Shabtai Gold, spokesman for Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, said security concerns were not sufficient justification for what he called “excessive delays” of medical personnel and their vehicles.

“The security claims are very shaky, very dubious,” he said. “The delays are simply not proportionate to the security concerns. You cannot delay an ambulance for four hours and say it is for security reasons. They are going overboard.”

According to Gold, Israeli roadblocks and checkpoints often force the sick and injured to make their own way across sometimes six feet high piles of soil before reaching an ambulance.

Ambulances were also forced to take detours, often through rough terrain, just to gain access to thousands of Palestinians living in villages in the West Bank.

Since the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence in September 2000, Israel has set up dozens of manned checkpoints and more than 600 physical roadblocks that restrict Palestinian movement, according to the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Israel has said the roadblocks are needed to prevent suicide bombers and other attackers from reaching Israel. The army has recently said it is loosening the travel restrictions to improve the lives of Palestinians.

The report revealed that since the outbreak of fighting, the number of Palestinian hospital births had dropped by about 50%. Pregnant women, afraid of getting stuck at checkpoints, preferred giving birth at home or in a local clinic, rather than risk giving birth at a roadblock, it said.

Before the violence broke out, 95% of women gave birth in hospitals, it said.

According to Gold, at least seven Palestinian newborns have died since the violence began due to delays at military checkpoints in the West Bank.

The report also found that in 70% of calls, ambulances were unable to reach the patient in need. The patients had to find their way to the ambulance themselves.

Meanwhile, more than 70% of Palestinians reported that they “face difficulties in reaching medical clinics and hospitals”.

The report also accused Israeli troops of “humiliating and abusing medical personnel” and called on the military to immediately remove all “siege checkpoints” and allow Palestinians access to health care “quickly and without delay”.

“The current policy with regard to freedom of movement has to end,” said Gold. “Freedom of movement is more than just getting from one place to another, it can also be, as in this case, a severe humanitarian issue.”