Assessing Mobility Conditions in the West Bank Territory Using Geographic Information Systems: The Case of the Bethlehem-Ramallah Route

Type Journal Article - The Arab World Geographer
Title Assessing Mobility Conditions in the West Bank Territory Using Geographic Information Systems: The Case of the Bethlehem-Ramallah Route
Author(s)
Volume 15
Issue 2
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2012
Page numbers 127-138
URL http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ahmad_El-Atrash/publication/259931791_Assessing_Mobility_Conditi​ons_in_the_West_Bank_Territory_Using_Geographic_Information_Systems_The_Case_of_BethlehemRamallah/li​nks/0a85e52e9681aa58df000000.pdf
Abstract
This article analyzes and assesses the impacts of Israeli-imposed physical obstructions on the mobility of Palestinians in the West Bank, using a case study focused on the Bethlehem–Ramallah route. These physical obstructions or mobility restrictions, introduced in the form of a matrix of checkpoints and barriers in the West Bank territory, arguably have negative implications for the articulation of a sustainable Palestinian state. The research methodology adopted is built through deliberations on available data sources (literature reviews, published reports, fieldwork investigations, and mapping interpretations using geographic information systems, or GIS). The findings show that in terms of both time and distance, the route Palestinians are forced to take to commute between Bethlehem and Ramallah is twice as long as the route that they could take if there were no mobility restrictions. Furthermore, if all checkpoints were closed, or if the Israeli E1 Plan were implemented, no travel at all would be possible, and the northern parts of the West Bank would be completely cut off from the southern parts.

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