Activists barred from Nablus checkpoints
The IDF on Wednesday banned Israeli civilians from entering checkpoints around Nablus, in a move aimed at ending the presence of Israeli left-wing activists at the sites, who the army says have interfered with soldiers tasked with carrying out security checks.
The move has been slammed as a violation of the Geneva Convention by the Israeli organization Mahsom (Checkpoint) Watch, which is comprised of 400 women volunteers who regularly travel to the checkpoints.
OC Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Gadi Shamni signed a degree on Wednesday turning the checkpoints of Ma'aravim, Hawara, Awarta and Beit Furik, all situated around Nablus, into closed military zones, and off limits to Israeli civilians.
"In Nablus, the situation has become intolerable," an IDF source told The Jerusalem Post. "The soldiers are unable to proceed with their duties because of interruptions."
The army source stressed that the decrees will apply to all Israelis "irrespective of ideology," adding that security was the central consideration behind the move.
But Raiya Yaron, Spokeswoman of Machsom Watch, told the Post that members of her organization "do not come to the checkpoints to provoke the soldiers."
"For eight years we have been documenting what is happening at checkpoints between Nablus and Palestinian villages in the heart of the West Bank, 40 kilometers from Kfar Saba," she said.
"This is a protest movement against the occupation and for human rights, to shed light on what is happening far from the public eye," Yaron added.
Yaron said Wednesday's ban was a "violation of the Geneva Convention," and vowed that her organization will "legally protest against the decree."
Machsom Watch is opposed to the presence of any Israeli checkpoints within the West Bank, calling for the checkpoints to be installed only "on the border between Israel and Palestine."
"We are citizens of Israel, we all served in the army, and we have children and grandchildren in the army. We don't come to bother soldiers. It is our presence, the very fact that we are checking what the army is doing, that is a form of protest," she added.
"We believe our presence makes violations of human rights at the checkpoints less likely," Yaron said.