Living in the Shadow of The Wall

The Separation Barrier runs through the village of Nazlat ‘Isa. The house to the left had a room demolished for being ‘too close’ to the wall.

Olive Trees as the sun goes down; between Tulkarm and Kafr Qaddum.

Olive tree seedlings waiting to be planted near to the Separation Barrier. Over half a million olive trees have been uprooted since 2000, many in order to build the Separation Barrier (deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in 2004 because much of the route lies inside the West Bank). According to the World Bank, ‘it is not possible to overestimate the importance of olives to the Palestinian economy. Not only are olives the single biggest crop in what remains a largely agricultural economy, but they have deep cultural significance as a symbol of traditional society and ties to the land.’

As villagers from Kafr Qaddum gather to protest against the roadblock that prevents them using the main road out of their village, building work continues in the settlement of Qedumim. A key feature of occupation under International Humanitarian Law is that it must be temporary, and any changes must be made out of absolute military necessity or for the benefit of the local population. The villagers have lost land to the settlement, and if the planned route of the separation barrier goes ahead, over 50% of the village’s land will be lost behind the wall.

Protesters in the village of Kafr Qaddum stand on stones placed across the road in an attempt to prevent the Israeli military jeep entering the village during the Friday demonstration. Every week the village protests at the site of a roadblock, installed 10 years ago by Israeli authorities which they say is for security reasons. The roadblock makes the journey to the main road 15km, when it used to be 1.5km.  The protest has happened weekly for over 8 months and almost always ends in tear gas being fired by the IDF, and often with stones thrown by the protestors.

A woman holds the picture of her son at the weekly Prisoner’s club sit-in in Tulkarm. Palestinian prisoners’ rights made the news around the world in February when political prisoner Khader Adnan ended his hunger strike against administrative detention. He went 66 days without food before his lawyer was able to reach an agreement with the Israeli authority that should see him released within two months.   Administrative detention is a procedure that allows the Israeli military to hold prisoners indefinitely without charging them or allowing them to stand trial, with any evidence usually witheld from the accused.

The flags of the Palestinian Prisoners’ club fly at the weekly ’Sit-in’ in Tulkarm.

Relatives of Palestinian prisoners hold a peaceful protest every Tuesday to campaign for the release of those detained or in prison. Palestinians are sometimes detained without charge, suffer ill-treatment whilst in detention and are usually held in Israel which is illegal under Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Adameer, The Prisoner Support and Human Rights Organisation, has more about the issues here.

From one Servis to Another. This road block severs the road between Upper Shufa and Lower Shufa, making life unnecessarily difficult for residents. To make the journey out of the village you must get out of one Servis (shared taxi), walk through the block and wait for the next servis on the other side. The alternative for residents who need to get their car out of the village is a trip that is at least three times the distance. This picture looks back at the roadblock after switching taxis.  

According to HaMoked, ‘Several years ago, the military blocked the road between the two village areas with permanent dirt obstructions, effectively turning it into a Jews only road, serving only the Avne Hefez settlers and soldiers of the adjacent military base.  In consequence, the car-ride from one part of Shufa to the other now is now 25 km long instead of 1 km. The new detour also goes through the Enav checkpoint, where the villagers are likely to be delayed for a long time. Additionally, the road connecting Shufa to the nearest city Tulkarem, which provides the villagers with schools, hospitals, public institutions and higher education centers, now stretches for 21 km instead of the previous 7 km. ’ (The road to the right in the picture is the road serving the settlement.)

The recently demolished cafe and cultural centre in Silwan which we were told was ‘the only place in the neighbourhood that young people could play’.

According to UNOCHA, almost 1,100 Palestinians, were displaced due to home demolitions by Israeli forces in 2011, over 80% more than in 2010. 4,200 additional people were affected by the demolition of structures related to their livelihoods.

House Demolitions are clearly illegal under international law (article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention) and international law also prohibits collective punishment; the punishment of persons for acts committed by others (article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Article 50 of the Hague Regulations).

Welcome to Silwan - a predominantly Palestinian neighbourhood bordering the Old City in Jerusalem, that has become a target for Jewish settlers because of the presumed archaeological site of the historical City of David. Silwan is home to 40,000 Palestinians and 400 Jewish Settlers. According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, several hundred Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem are at risk of forced displacement because of settlement activity and eviction, with Silwan one of the areas that is most affected.