42 areas (a), particularly in the movement of witnesses, litigants, judges and prosecutors. This is in addition to the fact that the transfer of the accused also requires, in most cases, prior coordination to move the accused from one place to another when required by the necessities of a trial. The weakness in the performance of the Palestinian judicial system is also ascribed to the lack of Palestinian sovereignty within the entire area of the West Bank while still under the control of Israeli Military Occupation. The Israeli military checkpoints have also affected the irregularity of the working hours for judges and other supporting staff, as they also restricted the movement of not only judges, clerks, and other judicial officers to courts and public prosecution offices, but also that of litigants, their representatives and witnesses. The Israelis’ frequent closures and encroachments weakened the ability of the police to execute court decisions and judicial notifications, which entailed the absence of an effective Palestinian civil police force capable of accessing all areas it needs to reach in order to support the judicial system. The annual report of the Higher Judicial Council noted that despite significant progress in the work of the Judiciary Inspection Department, the Department still faces many obstacles, most notably the existence of military checkpoints which impede the arrival of the inspection judges to the courts in a timely manner.24 A report issued by the Council of Ministers in the West Bank noted that among the difficulties and challenges faced by the Government in the justice sector, they include: 1) dishonoring the dignity of the judge; 2) subjecting the judge to inspection; 3)stopping the judge at military checkpoints; as well as 4) the inability of bailiffs and aides to the judiciary to perform their role in completing the reporting processes for claims or others procedures due to the closures, preventions, and other practices of the Israeli occupation which affect the daily work of the justice sector institutions.25 3‐ Impact of Israeli Violations on the PA Executive Institutions Israeli policies during the year 2010 reflected on the Palestinian people and on the performance of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) as well. The Palestinian Government in the West Bank was forced to provide assistance to the 24 http://www.courts.gov.ps/pdf/HJC_Annual_Report_2009_Arabic.pdf. Secretariat of the Council of Ministers – see the first quarterly report for the second year of the Government/13th, West Bank (2010). 25