West Bank Fuel Shortages Deepen as Access Restrictions Tighten

LONDON- Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are facing tighter restrictions on access to fuel as worsening shortages and new limits at Israeli settlement gas stations add to economic pressures and movement constraints, according to Palestinian workers, rights advocates and local officials.

Palestinian employees working at the Barkan Industrial Park in the northern West Bank said they were informed on Wednesday that they would no longer be permitted to refuel at gas stations in the nearby Israeli settlement of Ariel. The restrictions, communicated through WhatsApp messages and verbal instructions during the workday, were due to take effect on Thursday.

According to Palestinian and Israeli media reports, workers were warned that attempting to purchase fuel at the affected stations could result in detention, questioning or disciplinary action at their workplaces. The notice said the guidance originated from security officials linked to the Ariel municipality and applied to the Ten gas station in western Ariel and the Sonol station at the settlement’s entrance.

Labor representatives challenged the reported directive. Assaf Adiv, executive director of the Israel-based MAAN Workers Association, said the stations had traditionally served both Israeli and Palestinian customers and argued that the reported restrictions had no apparent legal basis. He said he had contacted Ariel’s mayor and officials at the Barkan Industrial Park, urging them to withdraw the measure on the grounds that it violated workers’ rights.

Local authorities denied issuing the reported instructions. Ariel municipality told The Times of Israel it was unaware of the message circulating among workers and said no directive had been issued by its security officials. The Barkan Industrial Park referred inquiries to the Samaria Regional Council, which also said it had no knowledge of the reported notice.

The reported restrictions come as Palestinian communities contend with an escalating fuel shortage that has driven increasing numbers of motorists to Israeli-operated gas stations in West Bank settlements. Palestinian officials have attributed the supply disruption to a broader financial crisis involving Israeli banking restrictions that have hindered businesses’ ability to deposit cash and maintain normal commercial operations.

On Wednesday, Palestinian Finance and Planning Minister Estaphan Salameh proposed establishing a publicly owned fuel company to address the crisis. The West Bank relies entirely on fuel imported from Israel, which has occupied the territory since 1967.

Palestinian businessman Samir Hullileh said the Palestinian Authority’s fiscal difficulties remained the underlying cause of the shortages and argued that creating a public fuel company would not resolve either the immediate crisis or longer-term supply challenges.

Diana Mardi, a field researcher with the Israeli planning and human rights organization Bimkom, described conditions across the West Bank as increasingly severe. She said access to fuel had become one of the few remaining factors allowing many Palestinians to continue commuting to work despite deteriorating economic conditions.

Mardi said long queues at filling stations, often lasting several hours, had become commonplace and were compounded by roadblocks, checkpoints and other movement restrictions. She added that many Palestinians had increasingly relied on settlement gas stations because entry into Israel generally requires permits, making settlements the most accessible alternative for many workers.

The security situation has become more restrictive following deadly clashes in the village of Tell near Nablus on July 24. According to media reports, more than 20 Israeli settlers from Havat Gilad attacked homes in the village before returning with Israeli soldiers after residents resisted. Four Palestinians, one Israeli settler and one Israeli soldier were killed in the violence.

Since then, the West Bank has seen intensified military raids, road closures, demolitions and attacks, while Israeli authorities have introduced additional security measures limiting Palestinian access to settlements and parts of Israel and Jerusalem, Mardi said. She added that many Palestinian workers had consequently been unable to reach their jobs and had also lost access to settlement fuel stations that had become a vital source of gasoline during the shortages.

Mardi said enforcement of the reported restrictions has varied by location. Palestinians have continued to purchase fuel at some stations located outside settlement gates, including in Maale Adumim, Kfar Adumim and the Mishor Adumim industrial zone, while access in other areas remains uncertain.

As shortages persist, Palestinians have increasingly relied on informal networks and mobile applications to identify stations where fuel remains available. Rights advocates say the shortages, combined with movement restrictions and financial pressures, have added to the burdens facing residents across the occupied West Bank.