00:00These boulders are blocking the southern entrance to the town of Atur in occupied East Jerusalem.
00:06They were put in place after Israel launched its attack on Iran and mean that cars can no longer pass through.
00:13Israeli police told DW it's to maintain order and security in this area, but didn't elaborate how so.
00:21The people who live here have no choice but to accept it.
00:24What do these blocs even achieve? How do they help, whether from a security standpoint or in terms of protecting citizens' freedom?
00:32It has affected us tremendously. We leave for work at 7 and arrive at 10. We need to walk there. There are no cars, no buses.
00:44Some try to squeeze past with their scooter, but fail.
00:50Barriers are everywhere you look in the occupied Palestinian territories.
00:54Across the West Bank, Israeli authorities have erected numerous yellow gates at the entrances to Palestinian villages, which they can shut at any time.
01:06As we drive from Jerusalem towards Ramallah to stays into the Israel-Iran conflict, we notice more of them are being installed.
01:13This is Jabba checkpoint.
01:17On the other side, hundreds of cars are queuing to cross.
01:20Palestinians use this road for work, to see families and friends, and to access critical infrastructure.
01:29My whole day was ruined, completely ruined.
01:33What if I had a hospital appointment or a dentist or any other?
01:36My whole day was lost.
01:38It's collective punishment directed at the entirety of the Palestinian people.
01:41The only way to pass when the checkpoint is closed is by foot.
01:48Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are already used to spending hours and hours at checkpoints.
01:53But now it looks as if Israeli soldiers are reinforcing the checkpoints, putting gates in place,
01:58which means it will be much easier for them to close entire roads like this.
02:02And much faster as well.
02:06Israel says the move is necessary in light of warnings about the intentions of terrorist elements in the West Bank
02:12to harm Israeli civilians under the cover of the complex security situation.
02:17In its statement to DW, they didn't specify what kind of warnings they had received.
02:22For Palestinian analysts, Israel's latest actions are part of its wider policy.
02:31The Israeli military is also in the West Bank to ensure the safety of hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers
02:36who live here illegally under international law.
02:40The Israeli government wants to expand their presence even further,
02:44having just approved the construction of 22 more settlements here.
02:48Israel wants to annex the West Bank.
02:53And when the world is busy with this conflict in Iran and before the conflict in Gaza,
03:01it's the chance for Israel to do this step, but without taking an official or a formal decision.
03:09They are doing it on the ground, by de facto.
03:13As Israel creates facts on the ground, the room that Palestinians can move in shrinks with every barrier.
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