Israeli Blockades Cripple West Bank Village: Schools, Healthcare, and Livelihoods Severely Impacted

For over two weeks, the village of Madama, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, has been under a stringent Israeli siege, severely restricting the movement of its more than 2,500 residents. On October 11, the Israeli army erected earthen barriers at the village's four entrances, citing "security reasons." Residents were informed that these restrictions would persist until Palestinian farmers ceased attempts to access their land, particularly in the northern area where an illegal settler outpost is situated.

Wail Qut, a legal consultant for the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center in Ramallah, has been unable to commute to his work. The siege has disrupted essential services, including access to schools and medical care, and has blocked the delivery of vital supplies like cooking gas. A harrowing incident involved a resident suffering a heart attack; the village doctor had to transport the patient over rough terrain and through olive groves in a private vehicle to a nearby hospital, a journey that took over two hours, compared to the usual 15 minutes.

The Israeli military briefly opened the northern entrance on October 20 for a few hours before reclosing it. Qut managed to reach Ramallah via a dangerous, unpaved dirt track connecting Madama and Asira, a route often swarming with settlers and difficult for most vehicles. However, the Israeli army monitored this makeshift route with drones and used sound grenades and tear gas to deter residents, subsequently blocking the path entirely.

The restrictions have coincided with Israeli bulldozing operations that have destroyed agricultural land and uprooted hundreds of olive trees, a devastating blow during the vital olive harvest season. Rami Nassar, head of the Madama Village Council, detailed how Israel had seized village land for the illegal Yitzhar settlement and a settler-only road, Route 60. Settlers have also established an illegal pastoral settlement, siphoning utilities and destroying crops. Last July, under army protection, settler bulldozers reportedly levelled about 140 acres of land and uprooted hundreds of olive trees.

The disruption extends to education, with teachers unable to reach classrooms and students forced to cross earthen barriers on foot. Samer al-Jamal, director general of education for the southern Nablus district, stated that thousands of students have been deprived of education. Schools in Madama, Burin, and Asira temporarily switched to remote learning. Maryam Rayan, principal of al-Fayha Kindergarten in Asira, described the dangerous process of helping children cross barriers to attend school, a journey that has extended from eight minutes to over an hour and a half.

While the northern entrance to Madama was reopened on Thursday, other entrances remain shut, and Palestinians anticipate potential reclosures. This situation follows widespread restrictions imposed across the West Bank after an attack in Hebron, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordering preparations for a complete lockdown.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported 925 physical obstacles restricting Palestinian movement in the West Bank, including 167 earth mounds, impacting approximately 3.4 million Palestinians by limiting access to essential services and agricultural land.