November 18, 2009

Israel’s High Court of Justice has ruled against a military order preventing Palestinians from driving on a highway in the South Hebron Hills in the West Bank.  The petition was presented on behalf of 22 Palestinian villages by flagship NIF grantee Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).

The court ruled that impeding freedom of movement for tens of thousands of Arabs traveling to and from the villages for the security benefit of fewer than 200 Israeli residents of illegal West Bank outposts was wrong.

The petition was submitted in 2006 and the human rights community is hopeful that this will set a precedent for many major highways in the West Bank which are completely or partially restricted from use by Palestinians.