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To access any restricted areas, including their own property, Palestinians must submit documents proving a "connection to the land" to satisfy security considerations. Entry, by permit only, is then channelled through official access points, gates or other checkpoints, 57 open daily, seasonally or on a seasonal/weekly basis with unannounced closures possible anytime.
Most open only during olive harvest season, and for limited daytime periods, farmers required to leave by late afternoon or early evening, denied needed time to plough, prune, fertilize, control weeds and pests, harvest, and live freely.
Because of the permit system, the difficulty getting them, the gates and other checkpoints, and limited working hours, agriculture and rural livelihoods have suffered, especially in the northern West Bank from 2006 - mid-2009 where permit issuance "sharply decreased."
In January 2009, "closed area" designation extended south to Ramallah, Hebron, and parts of Salfit, Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Previously, farmers only needed ID cards. Now they need permits. For example, 470 Hebron area farmers applied during the 2009 olive harvest season, 100 of them denied, in contrast to 2008 when about 1,500 farmers worked freely.
In the Ramallah governorate, most farmers objected, refusing to apply. As a result, six of 10 gates and checkpoints remain virtually deserted, a similar situation in the Jerusalem area where only seven farmers got permits, the others also refusing.
Lack of Seam Zone Emergency Medical Care
The Wall and gate system affect thousands of farmers and their ability to access medical care any time, especially for emergencies, those at night particularly worrisome when gates are closed until scheduled openings. Further, vehicle restrictions require transportation by horse, mule or tractor, causing delays and long detours over rugged terrain.
Since 2003, about 10,000 northern West Bank residents in closed areas have needed permits to live in their own homes and reach hospitals, health clinics, schools, workplaces, friends and relatives. Doctors, ambulances, mobile teams and other health professionals are also impeded from reaching the sick or injured.
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