In early August, 2011, TA, a Palestinian youth from the area of Qalqiliya, leased an olive grove of two dunums inside the area which Israel has dubbed the "seam zone" – the area of West Bank trapped between the separation wall and the Green Line. Since Israel proclaimed the "seam zone" to be a closed military zone, Palestinians who wish to go there, have to obtain a military permit. Under the m...

HZ, married and a father of five who lives in the district of Jenin, could not participate in his daughter’s wedding. The reason: HZ lives on the east side of the separation wall, and his daughter’s wedding was held on the west side, inside the area Israel calls the “seam zone”. Since 2003, Israel has been implementing in this area a draconian permit regime, requiring, inter alia, that every Pa...

In June 2010, AZ, who lives east of the separation wall, became engaged to a woman from Barta’a, west of the wall in the area Israel has designated the "seam zone". Although the "seam zone" is part of the West Bank and its inhabitants are Palestinians, Israel requires any Palestinian seeking entry to the "seam zone", to obtain a military permit for that purpose, claiming it stems from "security...

In October 2010, AM, a 30 year old carpenter from the village of Zabubah in the district of Jenin, got engaged to KK, who majored in education and lived with her parents in the village of Dhaher al-Malih, which is likewise near Jenin, but on the west side of the separation wall Israel has erected, inside the area it dubs the “seam zone”. The military has instated a draconian permit regime insid...

Following the construction of the first part of the separation wall, the Military Commander of the West Bank proclaimed the areas stretching between the green line and the route of the wall to be a closed military area, designated "the seam zone". Since then, Israel has been operating a "permit regime" under which "the seam zone" is closed for the entry and exit of Palestinians, barring a few e...

RK lives in Barta'a ash Sharqiya, a village west of the separation wall inside a seam zone enclave. He owns a cell phone shop in the same village. Because he lives inside the seam zone, each day when RK leaves his village on the west side of the wall, going to conduct business affairs anywhere east of the wall, he has to pass through the Reihan Crossing.In May 2010, the security guards on duty ...

In October 2009, RK, a truck driver from the area of Jenin, married SK, who lived with her parents in Barta’a – located inside the “seam zone” – i.e., the West Bank areas trapped between the Israeli separation wall and the Green Line. The couple wanted to make their home in Barta’a, because SK needed to spend most of her time at her parents’ house, taking care of her mother whose health was det...

MK and his family live in Tura al Gharbiya near Jenin. The separation wall cuts off their home, east of the wall, from their farmlands, west of the wall, inside the seam zone. Only he and his parents do the farming. In the framework of the permit regime implemented since the construction of the wall, MK has received renewable entry permits to the seam zone for agricultural purposes. However, in...