BICOM

Israel yesterday announced that Palestinian doctors will be permitted to drive their own vehicles from Palestinian areas of the West Bank across the 1967 lines. It is the latest in a series of Israeli measures designed to ease movement and conditions for Palestinians.

Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who is the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli body responsible for coordinating movement from Palestinian-controlled territories, told the Ma’an news agency that permits would be issued for more than 100 Palestinian doctors in the Bethlehem and Hebron areas to reach hospitals in Jerusalem. Tight restrictions preventing private Palestinian cars from making such a journey have been in place since the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000, which saw more than 1,000 Israelis killed in terror attacks.

Brig. Gen. David Menachem of the IDF’s Civil Administration, which oversees civilian matters in the West Bank, commented, “This is a significant step intended to assist doctors in completing their life-saving missions.” He also indicated that if successful, the scheme could be expanded, saying “The success of this step will be evaluated in accordance with an assessment of the security situation.” Mordechai suggested that the same restrictions may be lifted for Palestinian businessmen too.

Sharp disagreement continues between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) over the PA’s accession to the International Criminal Court and tax revenues Israel collects on its behalf. However, yesterday’s announcement was the latest example of apparent on the ground cooperation. Israel recently circumvented bureaucratic systems to ensure that the new Palestinian town of Rawabi joins the water grid, while last month COGAT announced that Palestinian men aged 55 and older would be allowed entry into Israel without a permit. Since the start of 2015, Israel has also eased restrictions on movement in and out of Gaza to aid reconstruction following Operation Protective Edge.

Yesterday’s announcement also comes with COGAT investigating claims by Human Rights Watch that Israeli agricultural settlements in the Jordan Valley are using Palestinian child labour.