Rights groups: 70,000 Palestinians cannot get to doctors and schools

Some 70,000 Palestinians in 27 villages west of Ramallah have not been able to access health services for more than a week after the Israel Defense Forces cut off the main road that links them to Ramallah, as well as the secondary roads that connect the villages.
At least 12 clinics serving the area are closed because medical personnel are unable to reach them, says Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, head of the Medical Relief Committees, an independent chain of Palestinian clinics and medical services.
People who have tried reaching Ramallah for medical treatment - a trip of 10-20 minutes by car - are blocked by checkpoints that prevent passage on foot as well as by car.