UN urges Israel to ease WB blockades

The United Nations warns that Israel’s easing of West Bank blockades is not sufficient and in many areas it has not created any improvement.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday that the easing of roadblocks has been concentrated in central parts of the West Bank and that there is no improvement when it comes to the western and eastern areas, AFP reported.

“It hasn’t improved when it comes to moving towards the west, towards East Jerusalem or Israel, and it hasn’t improved at all when it comes to moving towards the east,” Lazzarini stressed.

He noted that Israel has removed 121 checkpoints, but 505 others and dozens of road obstacles still hinder travel in the West Bank.

Due to the existence of vast Israeli military zones, areas near occupied and annexed East Jerusalem (Al-Quds), Jewish settlements and the heavily-guarded Jordan Valley are totally inaccessible for Palestinians, OCHA warned.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War, a move that was never recognized by the international community. Palestinians seek the territory as a part of their future state.

UN resolutions stipulate that Israel must fully withdraw from the West Bank.