The Israeli system of blockades has evolved since the outbreak of the Intifada. There were 17 blockades on the Occupied Territories between the onset of the Intifada in December 1987 and September 1993, totaling a period of 145 days. During these periods people and goods were prevented from moving from the West Bank and Gaza to Jerusalem and Israel. These blockades became more sophisticated shortly before and after the signing of the first Oslo accord in 1993. In 1993, the Israeli government imposed a permanent blockade on the West Bank, and instated a system of “entry permits” to control the flow of people across the green line. All Palestinians without a permit are refused entry into Jerusalem and Israel, and this permit system has become increasingly restrictive to now include only married men over the age of 35 and women over the age of 30.

In addition to the normal blockade, the Israeli government periodically imposes a kind of “super-blockade”. The super-blockades are usually imposed during Jewish holidays and feasts, during major Moslem and Christian holidays, after bombings, after clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli military, or prior to the anticipated outbreak of protests. During these periods of super-blockade all entry permits are invalidated and no one is legally allowed to move in or out of the West Bank or Gaza. There were 8 such super-blockades in 1994, extending over a period of 77 days: 58 over the West Bank, 18 over Gaza, and 3 over Palestinian-controlled Jericho.

During the normally restrictive blockades, some 51,000 Palestinians have entry permits and are able work inside Israel and Jerusalem, still a dramatic decline from before the blockades were instated. During periods of super-blockade, none of the 51,000 workers can go to their workplaces, with serious implications as these workers are often the only source of income for lower-income families. Recently, in another move destined to help further impoverish the Palestinian economy, the Director General of the Israeli Builders and Contractors Association said, in the Israeli daily “Ha’aretz”, that the construction sector would not hire any more workers from the Occupied Territories, even those with valid entry permits. According to the Director, the construction sector currently employs some 20,000 legal workers, and perhaps another 30,000 “illegally” (without an entry permit). For an economy which traditionally depends on their workers inside Israel and Jerusalem, the implications are obvious.

Despite the signing of the Interim Agreement, or Oslo II, in September 1995 and the cessation of the Intifada, the blockade policy has remained. In fact, it became even easier for the Israeli army to prevent the movement of Palestinian residents in the West Bank. The canton-like Palestinian-controlled Areas A of the West Bank are easily surrounded and sealed by the Israeli military, and a new and improved blockade, or siege, has periodically been put into effect. During these periods all residents of Palestinian controlled areas are under a kind of “Area A” arrest, and villagers and agricultural produce from outlying areas cannot come to the towns and people and goods from the towns cannot go to the villages. All Palestinians, even those with permits, are refused entry to Jerusalem and Israel, and the Palestinian borders with Jordan and Egypt are frequently closed. This policy of total isolation and economic strangulation, results in massive economic loss, a degradation in health care, and holds serious ramifications for those needing medical care and for schooling. In 1996, following Oslo II, 6 such sieges were imposed. Two of these sieges alone covered the entirety of the West Bank for a period of 65 days, while the remaining four were partial sieges which closed Bethlehem, Ramallah and Hebron.

Thus far in 1997, the Israeli government has imposed five sieges on the West Bank. Two sieges covered all Palestinian-controlled areas, and the other three were partial sieges closing the towns of Hebron, Nablus and nearby villages for a total period of 38 days. Bethlehem remained under a total siege recently for a period of 24 days. In total, there have been an estimated 48 Israeli super-blockades or sieges on the Occupied Territories for a combined period of 436 days.