ISRAEL'S APARTHEID WALL FACT SHEET
Scottish Friends of Palestine
July, 2003

THE WALL

Imagine a concrete wall up to 1000km long, eight metres high with a round watchtower every 200 metres. Visions of a Stalag come to mind, of a huge prison camp. Such an entity cannot exist, surely, without international condemnation echoing in the halls of the good and the great through- out the world.

The 1000km does not exist, yet. However, by the end of 2002, 115km had been constructed at a cost of $1 million per kilometre. This is Israel's very own Apartheid Wall or "Seam Zone". It is twice the height of the former Berlin Wall and could end up 30 times as long.

And yet there has been no reaction, of any consequence, from the international community.

Eventually, the 1000km may not all be solid concrete. There will be deep, impassable four metre wide trenches flanking the route, a barbed wire fence and a road patrolled by the Israeli army. In places there will be smooth stretches of sand, constantly monitored for footprints. There will be electronic sensors. All buildings within 35 metres of the Wall, on the Palestinian side, will be razed to the ground.

THE PURPOSE

And the purpose of this monstrosity? Security according to Israel, to separate Israeli from the West Bank Palestinian. Not so, according to Palestinians.

If you want security, end the occupation, acknowledge the rights of the Palestinian people and observe international law as it applies to the question of Palestine.The wall will entrench the occupation, squeeze the Palestinian under occupation further into their ghetto and make life more and more intolerable. It is a recipe, not for achieving security, but for guaranteeing further instability and violence in the region.

With the boundary between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank being about 350km long, why does the route of the proposed wall come to 1000km? The answer lies in the route of the Wall. It is set to loop deep into Palestinian occupied territory, embracing clusters of illegal settlements, enclosing much fertile land and important subterranean water reservoirs .

Every conflict in Palestine has resulted in expansion by Israel. In 1948, the nascent Israeli state expanded vastly outwith the area determined by the United Nations partition resolution. In 1967 there was further expansion into the West Bank and Gaza Strip (not forgetting the Syrian Golan). The current conflict is no exception, with the wall construction being used as an opportunity to confiscate about 10% of the West Bank.

Israel argues that the construction is temporary, contingent on the state's perception of the "security situation." Experience has long shown that, in the absence of external pressure, particularly from the United States, Israel has never relinquished any land it has occupied.

HORRIFIC CONSEQUENCES - THE GHETTO OF QALQILYA

The consequences for the Palestinian living close to the wall are nothing short of horrific.

Take the case of the once prosperous market town of Qalqilya. Already the town is surrounded on three sides by the wall. Very much as if enclosed by a bottle. The bottle-neck is the only way in and out of this town of 42 000 residents. Gates at the long neck, overlooked by a watchtower, controls the flow in and out of the town - one person or vehicle at a time. For the residents of Qalqilya, their town can be transformed into a prison at the whim of any occupation soldier.

More than 1 500 acres, one third of Qalqilya's town land has been confiscated. Forty five per cent of the district land has been similarly appropriated. A wealthy town, with about half the water resources of the West Bank, the area - the most important agricultural basket in the West Bank, producing about 42% of all its fruit and vegetable - was an exporter to Israel and the Gulf states. Now the 18 000 residents of nine villages, together with 19 artesian wells, are trapped to the west, between Israel and the Wall. Access to the rest of the West Bank will, once again, be at the whim of the occupier.

One of Qalqilya's affected villages is Jayyous, where the wall deviates up to 6 km from the Green Line (the 1948 Armistice Line). It virtually encircles about 500 homes, cutting them off from their land. In the process, an 80 metre swathe has been cut through the centuries old olive grove. Of the 960 trees owned by Mayor Salim (some 500 years old), only 50 remain.

Such circumstances are, in reality, part of the strategy leading to the slow process of ethnic cleansing in occupied Palestine. Already Palestinian businesses have relocated to the east of the Wall. Where the monthly family income in Qalqilya was once $1 000, it is now closer to $60.

BUILDING FOR DOMINATION - MAKE THE OCCUPATION IRREVERSIBLE

In tandem with the Wall project, there is the Trans-Israel Highway which runs from North to South through a 17% swathe of the West Bank. It has a buffer zone the width of three football pitches on either side. Its creation, as with the Wall, was only possible by the demolition of Palestinian homes and the virtual desertification of Palestinian land.

This Highway complements the 250 miles of the settler-only apartheid road system, which criss-crosses the West Bank. The dual effect could be to cut the West Bank into 200 enclaves. All totally reliant on Israel and injections of foreign aid - with no prospect of establishing a viable Palestinian state.

Settlements currently take up 1.6% of total land in the West Bank. Together with the road network which services the settlements, the settlers and their settlements control an effective 46% of West Bank land.
When the PLO accepted the Oslo Peace Accords, they agreed to the establishment of a Palestinian state on 22% of historic Palestine. Of this 22%, under 18% is now controlled by the Palestinian people.

In the words of Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition,

There is no intention to allow a viable Palestinian state

Sources;
1] Building a Barrier to Peace The Scotsman 31/01/03
2] Between Walls and Snipers The Jordan Times 5/12/02

Scottish Friends of Palestine
31 Tinto Road
Glasgow G43 2AL
(0141 637 8046 or hugh@tintord.freeserve.co.uk)

"And yet there has been no reaction, of any consequence, from the international community. "

Why should there be. Sure, we can expect the anti-semetic Jew haters like those who poulate the left to whine and cry about the potential loss of viable targets for their heroes in Hamas, but at the end of the day, why would any thinking person have a problem with ANY state protecting itself from an ongoing threat from SUBHUMAN terrorists who have such a propensity for blowing up in public. It would seem that NOT building a wall would be almost criminal. It is Israel's land after all.

Every conflict in Palestine has resulted in expansion by Israel. In 1948, the nascent Israeli state expanded vastly outwith the area determined by the United Nations partition resolution. In 1967 there was further expansion into the West Bank and Gaza Strip (not forgetting the Syrian Golan). The current conflict is no exception, with the wall construction being used as an opportunity to confiscate about 10% of the West Bank.
"

Actually, "palestine" turned down it's chance at a state 1948. I suspect the author knows this and is conciously LYING. When "palestine" said no, it's ARAB neighbors rushed in and TOOK the l;and that would have been "palestine" and decades of ARAB on ARAB oppression continued.

In 1967, as we all know, the ARAB neighbors of Israel tried to annihilate it but only succeeded in creating their own humiliating loss of land. The "occupied" terrirtories, to use an incorrect term, are, at worst, disputed lands between Israel, Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The state of "palestine" which has never existed is simply not even involved in the equation.

This article is another glowing example of anti-semetic rewriting of history.

There are plenty of us around here, however, who will continue to call these scumbags on their lies.

You say:

Visions of a Stalag come to mind.

The walls of a Stalag were to keep PRISONERS IN.

This is a wall designed to keep baby killers out.

Big difference.

This again demonstrates how backasswards the left is.

The democratic nation which practices religious and sexual tolerance and allows freedom of expression is, to the leftists, Hell.

The corrupt, totalitarian regime, where dissidents go missing in the night, is Heaven!

where - out of Palestine ?

Since the beginning of the Palestinian uprising on 29 September 2000 the Israeli army has killed more than 2,200 Palestinians, including 400 children."

"While claiming that it seeks to avoid harming the Palestinian population the Israeli army tanks and aircraft continue to shell densely populated Palestinian refugee camps and residential areas, knowing that such reckless fire will cause heavy civilian casualties."

(Source: Amnesty International)

"Since the beginning of the Palestinian uprising on 29 September 2000 the Israeli army has killed more than 2,200 Palestinians, including 400 children." "

And everyone is the direct result of the cowardly and SUBHUMAN atrocities committed by the lefts' heros of Hamas et.al.



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Every peaceful oveture by Israel has been met with increased suicide attacks.

Hex's casualty figures include "children" as old as 24 years.

They also include Palestinians killed by other Palestinians.

They also include the suicide bombers themselves.

What Hex et. al. fail to take into account is the difference between noncombatants and combatants.

See, Hamas (Dead Jews Inc.) DELIBERATELY targets noncombatants...a violation of the Law of Armed Conflict, which is what CIVILIZED nations use to guide their actions in wartime.

IDF targets only combatants.

This is indisputable, except by those like Hex who only want to see dead Jews all over his web browser.

nonanarchist

*** This comment was posted from an IP associated with a disruptive poster. The MD5 hash of their IP is dcbfebfbdce. This value is the same even if the user uses another name. Only posters deemed disruptive by the editorial collective will have this text appended to their posts. We apologize for any erroneous misidentifications.

> Hex's casualty figures

Source: Amnesty International


> IDF targets only combatants.

> This is indisputable, except by those like Hex who only want to see dead Jews all over his web browser.


So you know what I want again. hmmm yesterday you knew what I thought, what my motivations were, etc, THEN you attempted to draw me out on these issues. Failing that you started *answering your own questions for me* - putting words in my mouth and thoughts in my mind.
(rhetoricly - naturally)

When it became clear I wasn't dancing to your spin-cycle tune, you then declared I have no opinions on these matters - to which *I agreed* - yes, I will not be drawn out.

So this morning you're spin-cycling back to knowing what I think & feel again..

grand !

Well, duh. That was the cause of the conflicts in the first place - stealing Arab land. (Except, of course, for the 1973 war, portrayed in the syncopathic US press as an "attack" on Israel during a religious holy day when actually it was an attempt to drive the Israelis out of occupied Egyptian and Syrian land.)

"Every conflict in Palestine has resulted in the expansion of Israel.""

Perhaps, but bear in mind that EVERY conflict going back to the Hebron massacres in the '20's have been initiated by the Arabs. Every one.

Including 1973.

Egyptians and Syrians may have been trying to get back land they lost, granted. But had they not colluded to try and annihilate Israel in '67 they wouldn't have lost it in the first place.

Israel certainly has much to answer for and change, but you can't rewrite history.

Arabs have always been the aggressors in the major conflicts.

...I have no choice but to form my own conclusions from your own statements...or lack thereof.

You do not condemn terrorism. So you must support it.

If you support terrorism against Israel, you don't mind seeing Jews killed.

You have an extensive collection of photos of dead children. That's just plain sick.

C'mon, Hex. Tell me I'm wrong. I really want to be wrong about this.

nonanarchist

*** This comment was posted from an IP associated with a disruptive poster. The MD5 hash of their IP is dcbfebfbdce. This value is the same even if the user uses another name. Only posters deemed disruptive by the editorial collective will have this text appended to their posts. We apologize for any erroneous misidentifications.

a conditional branch

AND
OR
NOT
NOR
NAND

IF THEN ELSE
GOSUB RETURN
GOTO
HELL

I seem to have pushed Hex's button, all right.

Look, Hex. You have had numerous opportunities to condemn terrorism...and have not. Doing so would have earned you a measure of respect.

No matter your feelings on the subject, your words have branded you a supporter of terrorism. Especially terrorism against Jews.

You don't like that being pointed out?

Too bad. I call 'em like I see 'em.

I also can't help but notice you have not said you support my right to freedom of expression.

Hmmm. I wonder what conclusions may be drawn from that...?

nonanarchist

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I'd do something with that blindness if I were you

"take the flag off your roof till you find the proof. no more blind allegance, just facts and proof".

Imagine that!

I gotta ask, though...you post a picture showing where an Israeli missle struck.

Why was it targeted there?

I guarantee you: if the splodeydopes hadn't done something murderously stupid, that missile would never have been fired.

But that's okay, Hex. You keep right on supporting terrorism. You keep right on backing the wrong horse.

And I'll keep reminding you that even though you support Islamist terrorists, they want to kill you anyway, just because you're American.

Ungrateful jerks, huh?

nonanarchist

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He's been spamming the site with pictures all day long. He's seriously losing his marbles.