Iron Gates Paralyzing Palestinian Lives

The nightmare of Israeli occupation is becoming more terrifying for the three million Palestinians who live in the occupied West Bank of which Bethlehem is part.

As of September 2025, over 146 new iron gates have been installed in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, bringing the total number of barriers and gates to nearly 900.  18 iron gates were installed by the occupation so far just this year (1/23/26). 

Israel says it is for the protection of Israeli settlers who are illegal according to international law and many UN resolutions.  It completely disrupts intentionally, Palestinian work and careers, farming, schools and universities, medical care, food supplies, shopping, etc.  The checkpoints and gates are tools of control and domination aimed at paralyzing Palestinian life.  The iron gates are part of the occupation’s strategic plan aimed at erasing the Palestinian presence and replacing it with settlements and settlers.  Israelis are creating arbitrary mini prisons for a defenseless population.

There is a list of the villages near Bethlehem which are affected at the end of this article.

The easily installed iron gates are color coded:

Yellow    -   The most common gates - usually open unless military commander orders otherwise.

Orange  -    Gates closed most of the time and are only opened for security purposes.

Green    -    Special permit needed to go through.

Blue       -    Closed military zone, no passage at all.    Could get killed

Black     -     Closed military zone, no passage at all.   Could get killed.

In September 2025, five yellow iron gates were installed at the entrances to four villages surrounding Jerusalem—Mukhamas, al-Ram, Hizma, and ‘Anata. These ugly yellow gates were also installed at the entrance to al-‘Izariyya pictured above, the largest Jerusalem-area village, which was once connected directly to East Jerusalem’s urban center.

Simultaneously, Israel continues to exert de facto control and sovereignty over Palestinian areas, fostering a climate of uncertainty and instability. These policies have numerous negative repercussions for Palestinian society.

The iron gates are a clear indication of imposing full sovereignty over the West Bank and confining the Palestinian political community to isolated enclaves.

The iron gates have inflicted economic losses on the already fragile Palestinian economy, weakened by settler vandalism, military measures and restrictions in the West Bank, and the financial piracy to which the Palestinian Authority is subjected.

The Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS) has documented significant economic losses due to the daily checkpoints and closures in the northern and central West Bank.  Transportation decreased by 51.7% between October 2023 and March 2025, while travel time between Palestinian governorates increased by 77.9%. This has directly impacted daily working hours, with an estimated 191,146 lost working hours per day, costing the Palestinian economy $16.8 million per month.

Palestinian students and young people walk past a closed

orange metal gate set up by the Israeli army in Hebron,

West Bank, May 2025.  

Key Locations of Iron Gates near Bethlehem (as of 2025):

• Al-Khader: Multiple iron gates and concrete blocks have been installed at the southern and eastern entrances of Al-Khader, a town directly south of Bethlehem.

• 'Aush Ghurab (Northeast Beit Sahour): A metal gate was installed in this area on the road leading to the towns of Zaghira and Shawawra.

• Beit Fajjar: The eastern entrance to this town, south of Bethlehem, was closed with an iron gate.

• Husan Village: The western entrance to Husan (west of Bethlehem) is restricted by a metal gate.

• Beit Jala: Entrances on the western side of the town have been closed with iron gates.

• Tuqu' and Surrounding Areas: An iron gate was installed at the entrance to Khirbet al-Deir, leading to the town of Jannata. A new metal barrier was placed on the road connecting Harmala to Tuqu'.

• Al-Maniya: Gates were erected at the eastern, western, and southern entrances to this village southeast of Bethlehem.

• Jouret al-Sham'a: An iron gate was installed at the main southern entrance to this village.

• Jabaa' - Surif Road: A metal gate connects these two towns to the southwest of Bethlehem. 

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