Bethlehem-area village sealed by Israeli military for weeks

DEC. 23, 2015 12:30 P.M. (UPDATED: DEC. 23, 2015 1:42 P.M.)
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Israeli forces gather where a road block is being set up on a road closed to
Palestinian neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem, on Oct.14, 2015.
(AFP/Ahmad Gharabli, File)
BETHLEHEM (Maan) -- The movement of residents in Ras Al-Wad southwest of
Bethlehem has been cut off for weeks by Israeli military forces, locals said
Wednesday.
A resident told Maan that the forces closed off the main entrance to the small
village with large mounds of dirt around three weeks ago, and the road has
remained closed since.
The road was used by residents in Ras al-Wad to access a main highway nearby.
While they have been able to find an alternate route -- a one-way dirt road that
connects to the nearby village of Beit Sahour -- access to the highway is
severely limited, locals said.
They just dont want Arabs accessing the highway, a Ras al-Wad resident told
Maan.
An Israeli army spokesperson did not have immediate information on the closure
of Ras al-Wad, but in the past has told Maan that Palestinian towns and roads
were sealed in accordance with security measures taken in the area.

The isolation faced by Ras al-Wad residents has taken place in Palestinian areas
throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem that have been cut off
in recent months.
Following attacks carried out by Palestinian individuals on Israeli military and
civilians that began in October and have continued into December, the military
has been sealing villages and cities in the area around the attack or hometown of
attacker.
In the West Bank, where Palestinian movement is already placed under a myriad
of Israeli restrictions, the recent closures have had wide-scale repercussions in
what rights groups have termed collective punishment.
The military never contacted residents of Ras al-Wad with warning or reason of
the closure, and locals told Maan they have no idea how long the dirt mounds will
remain in place.
While Palestinians in other areas have removed dirt mounds shortly after their
placement, locals told Maan that Ras al-Wad residents have yet to remove them.
Ras al-Wad is a relatively quiet village and locals told Maan that residents
generally avoid confrontation with the military, locals said.
Theyre not confrontational and theyre not political, a resident told Maan.
They would just rather try to live their lives than deal with any trouble.
No one from the village has gone to move the dirt mounds, everyone here just
turned their head and found alternate routes, the resident continued.