In a letter to the Defence Minister Gush Shalom protests the new policy whereby army roadblocks in the North Dead Sea region completely deny West Bank Palestinians from having access to the Dead Sea shore. Many Palestinian families and groups of school children, on their way to bath in the sea, were turned back by the soldiers. This is the latest in the acts of petty tyranny by the army against the Occupied Territories’ population.

It should be noted that the Dead Sea is the last sea shore which was hitherto open for bathing to West Bank inhabitants, to whom access to the Mediterranean had been denied long since. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that the North Dead Sea region is an inseparable part of the West Bank, occupied in 1967, and that in the Olso Agreements the State of Israel took the specific obligation to let Palestinians have access to the Dead Sea. This is, however, far from the first obligation to be simply trodden underfoot.

Some months ago, when the Olmert Government wanted to avoid responding to the peace proposals of Syrian President Bashar Assad, it claimed that “the Americans don’t allow us to talk to the Syrians”. Now, when the United States made a formal appeal to Israel to remove roadblocks and ease the Palestinians freedom of movement, the government and army suddenly display independence and sovereignty. Instead of the existing roadblocks being removed, they are added to, imprisoning the Palestinians in ever-shrinking enclaves.

The prohibition on Palestinian entry to the North Dead Sea region might be connected with the recent campaign conducted by settlers in this area, organized in the “Megilot Regional Council”, to attract new settlers to the area (http://www.dead-sea.org.il/?CategoryID=156). It is well-known that in many policy decisions it is the settler tail which is wagging the army and government – most especially in times of weak and spineless governments, such as the present.

Contact: Gush Shalom spokesperson Adam Keller adam@gush-shalom.org