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Reshaping the Geographic Space in the Vicinity of East Jerusalem: Dynamics of Spatial Isolation and the Fragmentation of the Urban Fabric

95 0
12.04.2026

Al-Baidar Organization for the Defense of Bedouin Rights and Targeted Villages affirms that the on-the-ground realities in the area extending between Al-Sawahra al-Sharqiya, Abu Dis, and Al-Eizariya, along with the surrounding small and scattered Bedouin communities, indicate a gradual transformation in the nature of the demographic and political geography. This area is increasingly moving toward greater spatial fragmentation and structural isolation. Rather than forming a continuous urban and social extension within a unified geographic fabric, these towns have, in practice, become more akin to isolated population units, separated by physical barriers and an accumulation of regulatory and security measures.

In this context, the central role of military gates and both fixed and mobile checkpoints—established at the entrances, exits, and vital corridors of the area—becomes evident, as they have reshaped population movement and the rhythm of daily life. These crossings are no longer merely transient inspection points; rather, they have evolved into effective instruments controlling the ability to move and access different areas, including the linkage between the northern, central, and southern West Bank. Among the most prominent of these points are the military gate established northeast of Al-Eizariya and the “Container” checkpoint located to the south, both of which play a pivotal role in regulating or restricting traffic and movement according to security and procedural considerations.

These crossings are no longer merely transient inspection points; rather, they have evolved into effective instruments controlling the ability to move and access different areas, including the linkage between the northern, central, and southern West Bank.

With the accumulation of these restrictions, the daily life dynamics of residents have become directly tied to the fluctuating opening and closure of these checkpoints. This has contributed to deepening the state of geographic separation between population centers, reproducing them as distinct “enclaves” that lack natural urban cohesion and are instead defined by........

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