Download PDF Version
Printable Version
"Separation wall to isolate Bethlehem village from Beit Jala"
From time to time, the
Palestine Center distributes
articles it believes will enhance understanding
of the Palestinian political
reality. The following article was published by
Maan
News Agency
on 8 March 2010. To view
this article online, please go to http://maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=266617.
"Separation wall to isolate Bethlehem
village from Beit Jala"
Israeli authorities
confiscated 300 dunums of Palestinian land in
Beit Jala, Bethlehem to complete the separation
wall's construction, the head of the Bethlehem
anti-wall committee said on
Sunday.
Khalid Azza said once the wall's
construction is complete, Beit Jala would be
isolated from the neighboring Al-Walaja
village, describing the act as "terrorism and
piracy against Palestinian land."
"By
continuing the build the separation wall in
Beit Jalla, the Israeli government will crucify
the city, just as Jesus Christ was crucified,"
he said.
The Israeli High Court of
Justice ordered a halt to the wall's
construction in the area in 2004, but Azza said
the Israeli government "brushes aside" all
resolutions and continues to challenge the
international community.
Israeli bulldozers
enter Beit Jala
Dozens of
Palestinians and foreign solidarity activists
rallied near Bethlehem on Wednesday, in protest
of the bulldozing of olive trees near a section
of Israel's wall, which weaves through the
occupied West Bank.
Witnesses said
Israeli forces used limited force against
protesters who attempted to prevent the
bulldozers from approaching the trees, planted
in Beit Jala. Several demonstrators were
dragged on the ground as they refused to leave,
but no serious injuries were
reported.
Marwan Sha'ban of the local
Popular Committee Against Settlements in
Bethlehem said "we came here with our
solidarity friends to say: stop attacking the
land, uprooting trees, and forcing people out
of their houses."
Sha'ban termed any
construction on privately owned land as
illegal, but said the Beit Jala construction
flaunted the law, noting previous remarks by
Fayyad Nasser, a lawyer who represents the Beit
Jala municipality.
Nasser said Israeli
authorities began bulldozing the land after
notifying authorities just hours earlier.
According to Israeli law, however, there is a
40 day period in which landowners can appeal
the decision, he said.
The Israeli
authorities are working in a 300-donum area
that includes over 2,000 olive trees, according
to the Popular Committee, all owned by
Palestinians in the predominantly Christian
city that lies between Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Sha'ban said his committee would meet later
Wednesday to discuss their options.
An
Israeli security source told Ma'an that the
operation was fully coordinated with
Palestinian Authority security forces. This was
denied, however, by the Israeli Civil
Administration, a branch of the country's
Defense Ministry that oversees civilian affairs
in the occupied territories.
A Civil
Administration spokesman said there was no
cooperation with the PA on the particular
operation in Beit Jala, but that security
coordination between the two sides remained
strong, in general, and particularly in
Bethlehem. He said PA forces have no
jurisdiction in the area in
question.
Closed military zone
On
Tuesday, Israeli forces enforced a closed
military zone order to assist the operation,
witnesses said. Journalists and cameramen were
prohibited from accessing the area, as the
frequently employed designation also applies to
press coverage.
Bulldozers began
operating on lands near the Cremisan Monastery
road, said Leila Awad, whose home is the only
one in the area. Awad told Ma'an she was
surprised to see the bulldozers, accompanied by
police, on her land uprooting olive, walnut and
lemon trees. Awad's home and those of 35 other
families are threatened with demolition,
according to the municipality.
Israel
maintains that the barrier prevents attacks.
Palestinians say the wall's construction is
effectively a land grab, as it annexes some 10
percent of the occupied West Bank into Israel,
including several settlements built on
Palestinian land.
In 2004, the
International Court of Justice in the Hague
ruled that the wall, along its proposed route,
causes needless suffering to the civilian
population, cannot be justified by security,
and violates international
law.
The
views
expressed in this article are those of the
author and do not necessarily
reflect
those of The Jerusalem Fund.
Click
here for more Reports and
Commentary