The mayor of Qalqilya explains the impact of Israel’s apartheid wall

The Electronic Intifada 10 July 2003

On July 10, EI’s Arjan El Fassed visited Israel’s apartheid wall built on confiscated Palestinian land in Qalqilya. The mayor of Qalqilya, Marouf Zahran explains the impact of Israel’s apartheid on his town. The wall surrounds the town almost completely. The 8 meter high wall will be surrounded first by a trench of four meters wide and two meters deep, barbed wire and a military zone patrolled by Israeli occupying forces. Palestinian property within 35 meters of the wall has been or will be destroyed by the Israeli army. This includes homes, farms, agricultural land, greenhouses and water wells. Four entrances to the town have already been military blocked and the remaining entrance has been turned into a military roadblock. The ultimate goal of erecting this wall is to confiscate and expropriate Palestinian land as well as forcibly impoverishing the Qalqilya residents by denying them means to a livelihood and access to natural resources. Approximately 3,000 dunums of agricultural land have been or will be confiscated. This figure represents nearly 50% of the city’s agricultural land. Qalqilya was once known as the West Bank’s “bread basket”. Approximately 19 wells in the city will be confiscated, representing approximately 30% of the city’s water supply. Residents of Qalqilya are imprisoned in the town, cut off from neighboring Palestinian villages and the rest of the West Bank. Given that 45% of the city’s economy relies on agriculture, land and water confiscation has coerced migration of Qalqilya’s residents.
  • View video [3:45 mins, Quicktime file, 6.9MB]

    Camera and Editing: Arjan El Fassed

    SCREENSHOTS

    Marouf Zahran, the mayor Qalqilya explaining the impact of Israel’s apartheid wall on his town (Photo: AEF, 2003)


    Israel’s apartheid wall in Qalqilya (Photo: AEF, 2003)


    Israel’s apartheid wall under construction (Photo: AEF, 2003)


    Israeli military roadblock preventing Palestinian movement in and out of Qalqilya (Photo: AEF, 2003)


    Confiscation of Palestinian land near Qalqilya for the construction of Israel’s apartheid wall (Photo: AEF, 2003)


    Israeli military roadblock preventing Palestinian movement in and out of Qalqilya (Photo: AEF, 2003)

    Related Links:

  • Qalqilya wall, The Electronic Intifada, 18 August 2002
  • Special report on the West Bank security barrier, UNRWA, 15 July 2003
  • Walls of separation, Christian Aid, 18 June 2003
  • On Israel’s separation fence, Meron Rappaport, Yedioth Ahronoth, 31 May 2003
  • Update: New Israeli map highlights Palestinian concerns about “security fence”, Arjan El Fassed, 28 September 2002
  • False wisdoms about Israel’s security ‘fence’, Arjan El Fassed, EI, 29 August 2002
  • Separation Barrier, position paper B’Tselem, September 2002
  • Israel’s Apartheid Wall: We are here, they are there, LAW, November 2002
  • 11,000 Palestinians between Israel’s apartheid wall and Green Line, LAW, 23 September 2002
  • LAW files more petitions against Israel’s apartheid wall, LAW, 11 September 2002
  • LAW files petition against construction of Israel’s apartheid wall, LAW, 20 August 2002.