Military Occupation

What is it like in the West Bank where the Israel military controls the largest proportion of the territory - Area C? (Area A - under Palestine Authority totally; Area B - under Palestine civic governance but Israel oversight; Area C - Israel military control- according to the Oslo Accords). Jewish Israeli citizens must have a pass to enter, and few bother to come over the border from Israel - unless they are assigned as military personnel. Commerce is extremely difficult. Whenever stopped by the military, Palestinian citizens must be able to produce a paper showing they have a reason to be there even if it is their home. To go from one community to another means passing military checkpoints - and one can be detained for quite a while with no reason given. Any breaking of military law is subject to military detention and military courts. Any portion of the land can be closed off for security reasons at any time. If one is Palestinian, one must receive permission for any housing construction/addition - and this is frequently denied. If one is Palestinian, one must be able to show proof of ownership of the land - with documents - from before 1948. If this is missing, the military can clear the land by demolishing any construction and sell if to a Jewish family. Seldom are Palestinians allowed to buy new property; sometimes Palestinians sell to a third party and only later learn that it is being inhabited by Israeli settlers. Large tracts of land are consolidated and developed for Israeli settlers, some of whom move into nicely constructed "settlements" for economic advantage - and some of whom move to odd locations within Arab communities for ideological reasons. Settlements are strategically established to surround East Jerusalem and constrict Arab towns. Every settler is entitled to security protection by the IDF - Israel Defense Force - who will do nothing if a settler is disturbing the peace or trespassing on Palestinian land. Many settlements are provided with special roads that will take them into Jerusalem/Israel without passing through Palestinian settlements, and land/houses are taken from Palestinians to accomodate this. Sometimes these road cut through a Palestinian village, and the local people are not allowed on them - they can be detained. If a village is Bedouin, it will not have government-provided schools or health care. No permanent buildings are permitted - all have demolition orders. Water and electricity may be provided to a nearby Israeli settlement - but none will be made available to the Bedouins. Are you getting a picture? Everything possible is being done to keep a growing number of Israeli settlements (illegal according to international law) separate from the Palestinian population. The reality on the ground is bizarre, almost unbelievable. There is no balance of power, no equality. A Palestinian cannot fly out of Ben Gurion airport; they have to go into Jordan. If they need medical care in Jerusalem, they have to get an authorized pass to travel there...sometimes too late. Students who must pass through checkpoints will be late for class; many have lost jobs because of travel difficulties and not getting permits renewed.
If you want to know more, send me a comment or email and I'll suggest some webpages, including the UN. Look at a map of Israel - the "disputed territory" is where Palestinians and President Obama and I/human rights advocates want to end the occupation.