The Wall, Bypass Roads And The Dual Transportation System In Palestine

Abstract

The road network in Palestine is a complex road system where the highway system is classified into main roads and bypass roads. The main roads are usually two-lane highways that connect the Palestinian cities in the West Bank while the Bypass roads is a road system that is constructed by the Israeli occupation to facilitate the movement of the settlers without entering the large Palestinian urban centers. The movement of Palestinians usually occur on the main streets between cities. They can also use segments of the bypass roads which is most of the time has obstructions such as check points, gates and the separation wall. These on ground road facts have create obstacles on road accessibility for Palestinians and at the same time offers an none obstructed accessibility to destinations for Israeli settlers. This paper will illustrate the road conditions in Palestine by explaining the dual transportation system for Palestinian and Israeli settlers. The paper will also elaborate on and explains the obstacles Palestinian face daily on their accessibility to destination. The paper will use Geographic Information Systems as a mapping tool to explain the existing conditions of the roads and the obstacles people face. The paper will also use spatial analysis in vector and raster to quantify the connectivity characteristic of roads such as road density and intersection density and proximity and then compare these parameters between the roads used by Palestinians and the bypass roads used by Israeli settlers. The results of this paper can be used by local authorities in their planning for accessibility in the West Bank