Jerusalem is known as an open, international, “city of peace.” For millions of Palestinians, however, it is a closed city, virtually unreachable, as unknown and unknowable as the sea. Here we explore closure, Israel’s system that controls movement based on identity and thereby profoundly alters the fabric of the city and its hinterland.

The Story in Numbers

32 Years

Since the first closure of the West Bank and Gaza in January 1991, and the introduction of the permit regime [1]

18

Checkpoints controlling access to Jerusalem [2]

26,000

Estimated number of Palestinians who pass through Qalandiya checkpoint, the major access point between Ramallah and Jerusalem, each day [3]

3

Number of checkpoints that all Palestinians with PA IDs are allowed to use to access Jerusalem [4]

15,000

Estimated number of Palestinians who pass through Checkpoint 300, the major checkpoint between Bethlehem and Jerusalem, each day [5]

4.6 million

Palestinians living within the occupied West Bank and Gaza who cannot enter Jerusalem without a permit [6]

100+

Types of permits required for Palestinians with Palestinian Authority IDs to move from place to place for every possible life circumstance [7]

0

Types of permits required for Jews with Israeli IDs to move from place to place [8]

500,000+

Palestinians banned permanently from Jerusalem for 1–99 years [9]

More on This Topic

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For Palestinian Jerusalemites who live outside the Separation Wall and want to go to downtown Jerusalem or Bethlehem, a labyrinthine maze awaits.

Blog Post Palestinian Women Share Little-Noted Hazards of Prolonged Closures: “The Checkpoints Strained My Bladder”

The right to medical treatment and even to relieve oneself are compromised by Israeli checkpoints, especially when extended closures are enforced.