On August 7, 2007, CPTers watched as a crew of workers under Israeli supervision dismantled the “short” (80-cm high) security barrier along Route 317. By the end of the day, no wall remained.
The Israeli military had originally planned to construct the Separation/Apartheid Wall along route 317 but the Israeli Supreme Court rejected that plan, so the military built the short wall instead. It severely reduced access to the economic and social hub of Yatta for the people of the South Hebron Hills, and cut off shepherds from their land.
Last summer, the residents of At-Tuwani and nearby villages, with the support of Israeli and international peace activists, held multiple demonstrations against the wall. Eventually, they won a court decision that declared the barrier illegal. The Israeli army delayed implementing that court decision until now.
“The IDF routinely disregards Israeli court decisions,” said one village leader. “We believe what has happened is a success for the people’s nonviolent resistance.”
