West Bank's Palestinian population, businesses suffer under an Israeli siege

For Mahdi Ghareeb, visiting family in Nablus was to be a straightforward trip. 

The 28-year-old man had spent weeks in his home country, trying to make up for the 11 years he had been away in New Zealand, establishing a home and a living as far away from the Israeli occupation as he could.

But as he set off to start the long journey back, he was given a bitter taste of life under Israeli occupation. He's been trapped for days in the VIP lounge at the King Hussein border crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan, eagerly waiting for Israel to lift its blockade on the Occupied Territories and reopen the crossings leading to Jordan, where he was due to board his plane back. As a result, he missed his long haul flight back to New Zealand and was unsure how long it would be before leaving.

"I was in a car that carried me for over an hour through barriers and checkpoints and finally got me through the King Hussien border crossing, and onto the Israeli section of the bridge. There, they went through my documents and instructed me to return to where I came from," said a clearly anxious and furious man.

On Sunday, Israel shut down all three border crossings between the occupied West Bank and Jordan after an armed Jordanian truck driver fatally shot three Israeli border guards at the King Hussein crossing, also known as Allenby. The truck driver was himself  "eliminated", but the move to close down the crossings is seen by observers and residents to complement intensified violations against the occupied West Bank's Palestinian population of three million, who are facing worsening settlement and state violence.

The blockade, which unprecedentedly disrupts the access of products from Jordan and beyond into the West Bank, is bound to further strain the dire economic situation for Palestinians, but also harm Israel's own economy.

Hence, the complete closure is not seen to last for too long, according to experts, and did not. Jordan reopened the crossing to passengers, but that it would remain closed to freight traffic. But there is still an impact on people.

"The recent events at the Allenby Bridge will lead to the imposition of strict security restrictions, and some goods and commodities will be prevented from entering the West Bank," economic expert, Shady Hamad, told The New Arab.

"There is no doubt that the Israelis seek to keep this crossing open to support their economy, especially after the closure of the port of Eilat due to attacks at sea, in addition to the limited Turkish goods reaching Israel. Therefore, the alternative will be to impose restrictions rather than complete closure, but the impact will be difficult and lengthy," he added.

Further restraints

Palestine's national Muay Thai team, of whom 22 players were due to take part in the ongoing world championship for the combative sport in Thailand for athletes younger than 18 years of age, never made it to the tournament on time because of the border closures.

Ahmed Abu Dukhan, the team's manager, said the players represent Palestinians both at home, including those in the occupied territories, and in diaspora. "Because of the blockade, 17 players were unable to get to the tournament on time, while Palestinian athletes abroad and from within Israel managed to arrive in Thailand," the manager told TNA.

"The flight was to take off from Jordan at 2 am on Monday, but we decided to work our way to Jordan on Sunday to avoid any delays or issues. After all, as Palestinians, our movements are controlled by the occupation," he said to TNA. 

The players managed to cross to Jordan late Tuesday afternoon, having spent the two nights in a nearby accommodation they rented, and had to wait for a long queue of held up traffic to get through. They're to board their flight Thursday to arrive for the final rounds of the two-day tournament, concluding on the same day.

"This whole ordeal has harmed the players, physically and mentally, distracting them and draining their energy. Not to mention the exorbitant financial strain this has been on the national federation," he concluded.

According to political commentator Rasem Obeidat, this intentional restraining of Palestinians in the West Bank is a continuation of years-long discrimination and harassment of the population, and which reached new levels in recent years, especially amidst the ongoing war on Gaza. 

"Amidst expanding its land grab in the West Bank and further restraining Palestinians' rights, the Israeli occupation aims to weaken the Palestinian Authority's hold on areas it should control, which has eradicated the trust between the two entities, and also people's trust in their authority," he explained. 

Many in the West Bank are pointing fingers at the Palestinian Authority for being complicit with the occupation and is failing to provide any guarantees and rights for Palestinians, Obeidat said. "Because of Israel-imposed restraints, the economic situation in the West Bank is also going through a real crisis reflected in the lack of purchasing power and dependence on aid, which has led to a near paralysis of economic and commercial activity in the Palestinian territories," he noted.

This economic strain has massively limited Palestinians' ability to travel. According to Brigadier Mustafa Dawabsheh, director of the Karameh Crossing Police, the number of travellers who crossed the border prior to the war has nearly halved during the past year from the annual average of two million, whether arrivals or departures.

"The uncertainty Palestinians are living, and the dire economic situation, are what keeps people from travelling. Those who do, do so out of necessity and not tourism or luxury," he explained.

For Ghareeb, the New Zealander, this uncertainty and lack of movement right was palpable. "Does anyone feel for what Palestinians in the West Bank are subjected to? I doubt it," he exclaimed in agitation.

This piece is published in collaboration with Egab.