Ramallah, 26-05-08: "The further expansion and consolidation of Israel‘s Apartheid system in Palestine," is how Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary General of the PNI, today described the confiscation of Palestinian land for the construction of the Apartheid Wall in the village of Ni‘lin, some 5 kilometres inside the Green Line.
A peaceful demonstration by Palestinians, internationals and Israelis against construction of the Wall on village lands is currently underway in Ni‘lin, and has been met with heavy violence by the Israeli military. Some 50 soldiers, 10 military jeeps, and a special jeep to launch up to 24 tear gas canisters at one time have been deployed in the area, and soldiers are shooting tear gas, sound bombs and rubber-coated bullets at the peaceful and unarmed demonstrators.
A number of people have been injured, including a Canadian woman who experienced breathing problems after being caught in a fog of tear gas. Another man was beaten with clubs by soldiers and has been taken to hospital suffering from severe pains in his spine. Two Palestinians have been arrested.
The lands of Ni‘lin amounted to some 58,000 dunums in 1948 and stretched as far as the towns of Ramle and Lod, which now lie inside Israel. Following the Nakba of 1948, 40,000 dunums of this land were annexed to the newly-created Israeli state. Since 1982, the construction of the illegal Israeli settlements of Nili and Nala have eaten up a further 8,000 dunums of land belonging to the village.
Now, an additional 2,500 dunums are being confiscated from villagers to build the Apartheid Wall. When completed, the Wall, the encroaching settlements and the closure of the main entrance to the village will totally isolate the Palestinian villages of Ni‘lin, Mediya, Shukba, Shabteen and Budrus. Residents will be forced to exit and enter their villages via one strictly controlled access tunnel, severely impeding their access to their lands, and to workplaces, places of study, and health services in Ramallah.
"This is one more step in the Israel government‘s strategy to annex as much Palestinian land as possible to prevent the creation of a viable, contiguous, independent Palestinian state," said Dr. Barghouthi. "This Wall is not only stealing Palestinian land – much of prime agricultural land – but it is consolidating a system of Apartheid. An entire segregated infrastructure is being created to separate Israeli settlers living illegally on confiscated Palestinian land, from Palestinians. This is being done at the expense of the Palestinians whose land has been, and is being stolen to build this infrastructure, and at the expense of all the Palestinians who will be isolated from their lands, workplaces, key services and kinship networks as a result," added the MP.
Dr. Barghouthi called for widespread mobilisation and solidarity to support the non-violent struggle in Ni‘lin against construction of the Wall on village lands.
For first-hand accounts from the demonstration, please contact: 0598-595709/0599-940073.