Israeli occupation forces on Sunday shut down the entrance to al-Jalazon refugee camp, to the north of the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to local sources.

Occupation forces placed large cement cubes at the entrance to the camp and at the adjacent Nablus-Ramallah road, banning the movement of Palestinian traffic at the said road.

Drivers and commuters were forced to find alternative and longer roads as a result of the closure.

Jalazone camp is located north of Ramallah and directly borders the Israeli settlement of Beit El to the east. Extensive population growth since the camp was established in 1949 has resulted in overcrowding and overburdened infrastructure, as well as land-usage disputes among camp residents and between the camp and surrounding villages.

Following the Oslo Accords, the majority of Jalazone camp fell under joint Israeli-Palestinian control (Area B). The ongoing expansion of the Israeli settlement, Beit El, has served as a catalyst for intensified confrontations between camp residents and Israeli occupation forces. Clashes occur almost daily and sometimes result in Israeli forces entering the camp. The UNRWA Jalazone Boys’ School is located just outside the camp in Area C and rests directly opposite the Israeli Beit El settlement. The school’s location is a significant protection concern due to the clashes in this area and the Israeli military presence around the settlement.

Jalazone residents used to depend on work opportunities outside the camp, which included work inside Israel and in neighbouring settlements. However, since the end of the first intifada, these work opportunities have become largely closed off to camp residents due to road closures and movement restrictions. This has resulted in consistently high levels of unemployment.