CPTnet
May 8, 2004
WEST BANK: Tour of the Separation Wall
by Russell Schmidt
On April 17, the CPT delegation took a tour of the Separation Wall/Barrier
being constructed by the Israeli military. The concrete wall is 9 meters
(29 feet) high and costs $2.1 million per mile ($1.3 million per kilometer),
subsidized by U.S. tax dollars.
One of our stops was the Palestinian village of Sawareh, which is part of
Greater East Jerusalem. About 110 people in the village hold Jerusalem IDs
(this identification allows them to leave East Jerusalem and enter
Israeli-controlled West Jerusalem to work.) We met Mr. Inad Soukhry, whose
extended family members will be cut off from each other when the wall is
complete. He told us that since 1967 the livelihood of everyone in the
village is dependent upon jobs in Jerusalem. After the wall is complete,
those on the east side of the wall will not be able to get to their jobs.
Israeli and American news sources report that the wall will have gates
through which Palestinians may use to get to the other side, but they do not
report that these gates will be only open for a few minutes several times a
day. Israeli soldiers will decide who can get through, and if a soldier
doesn't show up for the opening of the gate it will remain closed.
For those persons in Sawareh village who live on the west side (Jerusalem
side), life won't be any easier. The road that connects them to Jerusalem
will be on the other side of the wall, so they will not be able to get to
their jobs either. Not only that, since they are located on the edge of a
steep hill, they will be trapped between the wall and a steep ravine, with
no way to get to the other side. They will only have a small road that
connects them with their neighbors, but not to anything else. They will
have no access to services (i.e., water, garbage, schools, medical,
emergency, etc.) which are all on the east side of the wall. So regardless
of which side of the wall they live, their families and community life are
being destroyed.
Referring to the wall and the conditions it will force them to live in, Mr.
Soukhry said, "This is worse than apartheid. It is worse than a ghetto or a
reservation. It is an open air prison."
Jamal Juma'a, our tour guide and also a resident of this village, said that
at this point the Palestinians alone are powerless to stop the wall. "We
need a massive international intervention, both governmental and
non-governmental organizations. We don't want people to be 'anti-Semitic'
or 'pro-Palestinian.' We just need people to tell the truth about what is
happening to us."
_______________
To stop receiving messages from CPTNET on MennoLink, send a message with
only the word, "suspend," in the body to server@MennoLink.org.
Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative of the historic peace churches
(Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and Quakers) with support and
membership from a range of Catholic and Protestant denominations.
Supporting violence-reduction efforts around the world is its mandate.
Contact CPT, POB 6508 Chicago, IL 60680; Telephone: 773-277-0253 Fax:
773-277-0291; e-mail: guest.903627@MennoLink.org.
To receive news or discussion of CPT issues by e-mail, fill out the form
found on our WEB page at http://www.cpt.org/subscribe.php
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jun 01 2004 - 09:29:09 EDT