‘No freedom at all’: Israeli closures leave West Bank patients trapped

On Friday evening, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a “wide-scale military operation” across the occupied West Bank following a settler attack in the village of Tal that morning, Palestinian ambulance driver Yousef Diriya, 50, found himself trapped for four hours at Awarta checkpoint while transporting kidney dialysis patients.In the days since, much of the West Bank – particularly Nablus Governorate, but also Ramallah and towns stretching as far south as the Bethlehem Governorate – has been sealed off, forcing ambulance crews to navigate lengthy detours and prolonged checkpoint delays to reach hospitals.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump expresses frustration with Netanyahu before White House meetinglist 2 of 3‘We’re here to stay’: West Bank Palestinians defy Israeli attackslist 3 of 3Why has Iran’s economy not collapsed under US war pressure?end of listAn ambulance trip that normally required Diriya to drive 20 kilometres (12 miles) can now require as much as 100 kilometres (60 miles), by his estimation. And even with prior coordination and permission to pass, it has taken hours at a time for Diriya to pass checkpoints to bring patients to ...