Manchester shoppers came face to face with the apartheid West Bank style on Saturday 12 July, when over 200 local activists demonstrated the impact of the huge Security Wall being built by the Israeli Government on Palestinian land.
Building their own wall across Albert Square from cardboard boxes the WALL DOWN! demonstration raised public awareness about the construction of the Security Wall.
Bigger than the Berlin Wall, the planned barrier is 370miles long, 25feet high and 12feet wide. It is being built on the Palestinian side of the 'Green Line' - the armistice line created after the 1967 war, which divides Israel and the Occupied Territories.
There are more photographs of that action here - Video 56k | Photos | High bandwidth Video
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A United Nations official, Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast, told the UN Security Council in June that the wall "potentially separates tens of thousands of Palestinians from their agricultural lands, wells, markets, schools, health clinics and hospitals.
"By the end of July, 12,000 Palestinians in 15 villages could find themselves wedged between the wall and the Green Line," he said. "A further 138,000 Palestinians in 16 localities could be surrounded on three sides by the wall." *
About 20 miles of the wall has been completed, with a further 100miles partly built. This story has gone virtually unreported by the British Media.This event was organised by an independent group of Manchester-based activists, many of whom have spent time in Palestine with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and other peaceful organisations. The demonstration is supported by a wide range of organisations including CND and Jews for Justice for Palestinians, Greater Manchester Stop The War Coalition, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Muslim Feminist Network, Islamic Society, Muslim Association of Britain and others.
*Kieran Prendergrast quote taken from Associated Press story, published on www.palestinemonitor.org (accessed 6 July 2003).
B'Tselem, The Israeli Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories estimates that the planned route of the wall will directly harm over 210,000 Palestinians living in sixty-seven towns, villages, and cities. 11,700 Palestinians living in 13 communities will be imprisoned in isolated enclaves to the west of the barrier, 128,500 residents from 19 communities will be in enclaves to the east of the barrier, and tens of thousands Palestinians will be separated from their farmland. (from: www.btselem.org accessed 6 July 2003).
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Correction Comment from USA
28.07.2003 19:01
by Mike (stepbystepfarmmtdata.com) on Jul 22, 2003 - 09:54 PM
The"Green Line " is NOT the armistice line from the 1967 war but the armistice line from 1948. Thus when you hear references to "inside the Green Line" that means within Israel as it existed PRIOR to the 1967 war.
Re: correction2 (maybe) by Mike on Jul 23, 2003 - 02:03 PM
correction #2
by Mike (stepbystepfarmmtdata.com) on Jul 24, 2003 - 06:57 PM
There's apparently a little confusion about just what this wall is like, or should I say misleading propoganda. You've all seen pictures of this 25' high 12' thick wall, right? And been led to assume that the whole several hundred kilometers is supposed to be like that. Well.......
Apparently there are only a couple of kms of THAT sort of wall, and to get that "thick" business I think that's just where the tower is. Noitce you always get to see the SAME picture because the rest of the several hundred Kms is nothing like that. The stretch you are seeing is just where the "turnpike" runs nearby inside the Green Line and is to prevent the frequent potshots at motorists.
To see a picture of what the rest of the wall looks like, today (7/24) on Israeli "Channel 7" there is a picture of the fence being constructed. The link is www.arutzsheva.org (it's a news site in English -- useful because it's the "conservative" side and not at all shy about announcing any actions against the Plaestinians).
Anybody with a little common sense would realize that the Israelis would be crazy to build much length of wall which would be sbstantial enough to act as a potential obstacle to
CRe: correction2 (maybe)
by Mike (stepbystepfarmmtdata.com) on Jul 23, 2003 - 02:03 PM
"the planned barrier is 370miles long, 25feet high and 12feet wide"
That's what I thought too, but reports from Israel indicate otherwise. Apparently only a small section of "the wall" is to be like this.
Only in a small streach of kalkilia, next to the
"Cross Israel" toll-road there is a wall similar
to sound-wall found along many US freeways.
In another 2 small streaches (less than a mile)
near the Matan area and Bat-Hefer areas there is
a wall at the edge of those vilages preveting
shoting into Israeli homes.
All the rest (hundreds of kilometers) it is a
fence - a border fence.
ACTUALLY, that makes more sense. I was wondering not only about the sheer expense of the massive wall supposedly being constructed but also why the Israelis would wish such a thing to exist when a major part of their military might is in tanks. Comparatively short stretches of substantial wall would not restrict their mobility.
Mike via Wales
re - Mike's corrections
06.08.2003 18:04
All his other stuff about the nature of the barrier, however, looks like hair-splitting.
It's really unimportant politically whether the barrier is concrete or barbed wire. Either is pretty effective at stopping the free movement of people.
And his item about how wide it is - don't forget that there are sections with a road following the barrier to allow military patrols - such roads and other 'barrier-infrastructure' can quite reasonably be counted as part of the barrier's footprint since the area cannot be used for any other purpose.
bobby