Road Closures

Although freedom of movement is a fundamental right guaranteed by all laws, Israeli authorities have continued to violate this right. The Israeli restrictions on movement constitute a grave violation of article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which stipulates that "every individual has the right to free movement and to choose his/her residency within the boarders of the state….".Such breaches negatively affect the electoral process, and restrict the movement of voters, candidates and CEC staff.

The closure of roads is a commonly used Israeli policy which restricts the movements of Palestinians. The Israeli authorities have constructed more than 600 road closures in the West Bank. Road closures restrict the movement of Palestinians between the villages and cities and prevent them from reaching registration and polling centers. Road closures continue to restrict the movement of candidates between the Palestinian governorates, especially between Jerusalem and Gaza during the electoral campaigning period, which is the legal period in which candidates are allowed to conduct electoral campaigning activities.

Road blocks also affect the work of the CEC. They prevent CEC staff from performing their duties and moving freely between registration and polling centers. They also obstruct the distribution of voter education materials to the voting public and electoral materials to registration and polling centers, such as ballot boxes and ballot papers.

The Israeli Separation Wall

The construction of the apartheid wall over the confiscated Palestinian lands has destructive economic and social impacts on the lives of the Palestinian people and imposes further restrictions on movement between the Palestinian territories. In terms of the electoral process, the wall has restrained the accomplishment of some aspects of the electoral process in a free and transparent manner especially with respect to the voter's registration phase, the education and awareness campaign and the polling phase.