This is the separation barrier near Bethphage. Many Palestinian communities on the other side of the wall were suburbs of Jerusalem before the second intifada started in 2000, but Israeli construction of the wall has cut them off and made it impossible for people as close to Jerusalem as Bethany to get to their jobs and work. People call it an apartheid wall because it draws a racial line across the greater Jerusalem area, excluding the Arab natives and creating canton-like enclaves that have historically been part of the Jerusalem area. Israeli's claim that they're building it to increase security, but a lot of moderates and international observers consider the separation barrier to largely be a land grab--the latest in Israel's tactic of creating 'facts on the ground' to tilt negotiations in their favor, to the detriment of the local Palestinian people.
2008-06-17 21:34:53 • 0 Comments • Categories: [Jordan Study Abroad]  [Political Life]  Arab Israeli_Separation_Barrier Israel_Palestine sad
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