Jan 14, 2010 0
The Wall and the anti-Wall movement
- The Wall
- The popular resistance movement against the Apartheid Wall
- Further information
1. The Wall
The Wall, which is currently projected to run 760 km in length, is not being built on, or in most cases near the 1967 Green Line. Instead, it cuts deep into the West Bank, annexing Palestinian land and resources. In total, 85% of the Wall is located in the West Bank and consists of a network of walls, fences, military zones, 34 fortified checkpoints, 44 tunnels, 634 checkpoints and obstructions and 1,661 km of settler roads. When completed, the Wall and its associated regime will de facto annex some 46% of the West Bank, isolating communities into Bantustans, ghettos and “military zones”.
The concrete Wall is present in Bethlehem, parts of Ramallah, Qalqilya, parts of Tulkarm and throughout the Jerusalem envelope. It is 8 meters high with watchtowers and a “buffer zone” 30-100 meters wide for electric fences, trenches, cameras, sensors, and military patrols. In other places, the Wall consists of layers of fencing and razor wire, military patrol roads, sand paths to trace footprints, ditches and surveillance cameras.
The Wall’s “buffer zone” paves the way for large-scale demolitions and the expulsion of nearby residents, as in many places the Wall is located just meters away from homes, shops, and schools. The land between the Wall and the Green Line has been declared a “seam zone”, and all residents and landowners in this area must obtain a permit to remain in their homes and on their lands.
Agricultural “gates” have been installed in the Wall, but these do not provide any guarantee that farmers will have access to their lands. Rather, they strengthen Israel’s system of permits and checkpoints where Palestinians are beaten, detained, shot at and humiliated.
Construction of the Wall slowed considerably during 2008 but building activity has started to accelerate in 2009. Some 60% of the Wall is currently built. The isolation and closure the Wall creates continues to have dire effects on Palestinian communities; thousands of Palestinians have been cut off from the land and means of subsistence, had their homes and olive trees demolished or been displaced as a result of the Wall’s construction. Accessing education, health care, religious sites and even visiting family members has become increasingly difficult. Some 266,442 Palestinians in 78 communities are facing living conditions that will force them to abandon their homes.
Settlement construction in the shadow of the Wall has continued, with most major expansions in 2008 and 2009 occurring in the Jerusalem and Bethlehem area blocs. Cities and villages who have lost land to nearby settlements are being strangled (only 13% of the Bethlehem district, for instance, is available for Palestinians) and face ongoing attacks, especially during the olive harvest.
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2) The popular resistance movement against the Apartheid Wall
The popular resistance against the Wall that has emerged in the affected villages in an effort to protect their rights and their land, has faced a staggering level of repression, arrests and violence from the Israeli authorities. The most visible and unifying expressions of this resistance are the weekly demonstrations against the Wall, which are organised and led by local “popular committees”, comprised of activists from the affected communities. The communities’ actions are supported, coordinated, and sometimes initiated through their umbrella organisation, the Palestinian Grassroots Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign (Stop the Wall).
The popular resistance movement against the Apartheid Wall
The committees usually have three focuses: 1. Protests through demonstrations 2. Legal approaches 3. Contacting international movements. Typically, protests against the Wall involve different activities, such as marches, blocking Wall-construction machinery, destroying gates and fencing, and/or throwing stones at IOF soldiers.
June 2002 to October 2003: the rising of the popular resistance against the Wall
The first protests against the Wall started in the districts of Qalqiliya and Jenin where the bulldozers began work in June 2002. The demonstrations were aimed at stopping the destruction of village land. In June 2003 the popular committees, via Stop the Wall, organised their first national coordination meeting, bringing representatives from Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqiliya and Salfit. They called for the first National and International Week against the Apartheid Wall to be held on November 9-16 2003 as part of the first joint plan. In Palestine the week began with a general strike throughout the West Bank and was followed by protests across the affected districts. Some 70 protests in 25 countries worldwide were held in solidarity. Jayyus was the first village to engage in day-to-day protests. These protests saw the first participation from international and Israeli activists.
November 2003 to November 2005: the resistance against the Wall intensifies
The year 2004 was marked by a large-scale growth of popular resistance. It was the year that the first martyrs were killed in protests against the Wall. This period also saw the hearings and ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the illegality of the Wall. The verdict of the International Court of Justice and its endorsement by the UN General Assembly did not alter anything for the people on the ground – the construction of the Wall continued, as did the repression of the protests. In fact, the repression intensified. The first wave of escalation in military violence, including an assassination, along with mass arrests and killings, took place. The period was marked by both many protests in the villages affected by the Wall, and demonstrations aimed at the PNA, to pressure it to support the affected communities, raise the issue of the Wall at international level and to ensure the implementation of the ICJ decision.
May 2008 to July 2009: Popular resistance against the Wall: a dangerous phenomenon
In 2008/2009 weekly protests have gained strength in a number of villages. In addition to the protests against the Wall, popular committees have started focusing on the settlements, and renaming themselves ‘Committees Against The Wall and The Settlements’ in recognition of the fact that the two colonial construction efforts are two sides of the same coin, which leaves Palestinians dispossessed and living in walled-in ghettoes and enclaves. The commitment to the boycott of Israeli products and anti-normalization campaigns of the popular committees has added yet another aspect to the struggle. The movement against the Wall has transformed from the spontaneous protests to a politically mature network of activism and resistance. It has gained over the years the support of a new generation of activists that leads demonstrations and increasingly makes its voice heard. Its strengthened political influence and the sustained Friday protests in a growing number of villages have sadly also provoked another escalation of repression and killings at the hands of the IOF.
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3. Further information
The Apartheid Wall fact sheet provides basic information about the Wall, including location and costs as well as how the Wall is part of a vast network, which includes checkpoints, tunnels and settler roads. The fact sheet also explains the ghetto system ,and the response of the international community.
Threatened Villages - Palestinian population centres between isolation and expulsion: 78 Palestinian villages, neighbourhoods, communities and cities are threatened in their very existence by the isolation imposed on them via the construction of the Wall, the settlements and their infrastructure. Throughout the West Bank some 266,442 Palestinians are facing living conditions that soon will force them to abandon their homes and communities and to turn into refugees or internally displaced people. This fact sheet gives the basic information about this wave of forced expulsion at the hands of the Occupation.
Ni’lin – A Struggle for Existence: This factsheet highlights the history and struggle of Ni’lin. The village is located in the West Bank, 26 KM to the west of Ramallah city. The village of Ni’lin has become a site of active struggle against the Apartheid Wall. Frequent protests and confrontations between villagers and Occupation soldiers are staged on the site where bulldozers are razing land to build the latest segment of the Wall.
Repression allowed, resistance denied (a factsheet) is a concise summary of the much longer report, Repression Allowed, Resistance Denied and explains the violent tactics used by Occupation forces against Palestinians who engage in protest against the Wall. This fact sheet covers in brief the main sections of the report, including the history of the popular resistance against the Wall, violent repression of anti-Wall protestors, arrests and detentions, and recommendations for action. All of these are examined in greater detail in the report, along with interviews, statistics and analysis.
Companies Building the Apartheid Wall fact sheet provides information on the companies involved in the Wall, with the aim of assisting activists in launching BDS campaigns. We have focused on Israeli companies in which there may be considerable international investment as well as international firms that play a significant role in building, equipping and/or maintaining the Wall. The fact sheet also details the Norwegian divestment from Elbit and provides information on how to launch your own divestment campaign.
