Checkpoint

Access to Jerusalem is controlled by 14 access points, many or most of which actually are located outside the Israeli municipal boundary and inside the occupied West Bank. Palestinians call these military checkpoints. Israelis have come to call these “crossing points” (ma’avar in Hebrew), reflecting a situation where freedom of movement is in place. Palestinians find that this term implies that anyone is allowed to cross and the situation is a normal one of routine passage through a border. Instead, they use the term “checkpoint” (hajiz in Arabic), which reflects their reality of being “screened” and “approved” or “denied” for permission to cross in a situation where freedom of movement is not guaranteed and is in fact often denied.