West Bank Barriers Keep Rising Despite Promises of Relief

But Israel contends that the Palestinian Authority has not upheld its end of the bargain by improving its security services.

"The Palestinian Authority could help us move on this issue," said Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

"The goal is to have a situation where a Palestinian can go from one part of the Palestinian Authority to another part of the Palestinian Authority without a roadblock," and reaching that goal is important for the peace process, he said.

But for now, the Israeli military says the barriers remain necessary. They are "designed to minimize inconvenience to the Palestinian population while preserving the safety and lives of Israelis," said Capt. Noa Meir, a military spokeswoman.

In Azun, for instance, the military said it installed new barriers after a recent surge of incidents in which Palestinians hurled rocks and molotov cocktails at cars traveling to and from a nearby Israeli settlement.

To Azun's residents, however, that's just an excuse for a policy of harassment designed to protect the settlers' interests and drive the Palestinians away.

This village of 10,000 is ringed by olive trees and is home to a couple of dozen small shops. For the past month, residents have had to contend with coils of barbed wire and a freshly deposited dirt mound in the center of what was once a busy street. Both obstacles are designed to keep cars and people from easily accessing a primary road along the edge of town that is used by the settlers.

"This crossing was the life of the town," said Khalid Hammed, 40, a laborer who spoke from behind the coils of wire. "Now our life has stopped."

The road closures are not the only problem. The army has frequently imposed curfews in recent weeks, residents say, effectively shutting down not just individual roads but the entire town. The curfews often extend throughout the day, making it impossible for the people of Azun to get to their jobs or buy food at the market.

If a curfew is imposed while Edwan is at work, the doctor has to return stealthily -- creeping from house to house until he reaches his home, all the while on the lookout for patrolling Israeli troops.

"It's like a big jail," Edwan said. "Nothing is in our hands."

One day this week, all of the shops were locked tight at noon. The streets of Azun were empty of vehicle traffic, and children who occasionally peaked out from side streets ran for cover at the sound of a vehicle approaching down the desolate main road.

Three soldiers in an armored jeep were stationed in the center of town, stopping anyone in sight and asking for identification.

Residents were instructed to go home immediately. Outsiders were ordered to leave.

"The village," one of the soldiers said, "is closed."