*breaks down in tears*

My thoughts go out to Palestinians in Gaza strips and West Bank who are struggling everyday just to survive against the tyranny.

anoncentral:

Your 9/11 Is Their 24/7

STOP THE WAR, AND THE ISRAELI APARTHEID IN PALESTINE 

palestinianliberator:

Hello!

The “West Bank Barrier/Wall” [also dubbed the “Apartheid Wall”] is a wall being constructed by Israel within the West Bank of Palestine. The wall is meant, according to Israel, to serve as an added layer of defense against Palestinians, to protect the Israeli people. The problem with that, however, is that while protecting the Israeli people, it has subjected Palestinians to an even more restrictive occupation.

The wall is being built mostly WITHIN the border of the West Bank, as opposed to being built along the border, or even on Israeli territory. The follow is a map created by ProCon.org, with the Apartheid Wall’s path displayed in red, and the border of the West Bank displayed in green:

As you can see, it weaves in and around Palestinian territory, essentially isolating the villages the Israeli government chooses to enclose within the wall.

The wall also serves to cut Palestinians from their land, often leaving farmers seperated from their crops, villages separated from their water supply, and as I mentioned, completely enclosing various communities within the wall, effectively serving as literal prison walls, forming an open-air prison.

This wall dwarfs the size and scale of the Berlin wall, 

Keep in mind that the length is now projected to be 700 kilometers, rather than 650.

The wall has also led to a number of environmental issues on top of the already severely hindered agricultural ones, such as the case in Beit Hanina where the village was basically flooded by rainwater because the Wall restricted the flow of surface water, causing it to pile up and collect within the village.

The wall also cuts of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the rest of Palestine, trapping them on the Israeli side of the wall, while denying them entry into Israel, while at the same time implementing a crippling system of checkpoints that make entering into the West Bank such a hassel that many simply choose not to.

To get an idea of how large the wall is, here is a picture of me [standing at 6’1] next to a portion of the wall in Bethlehem:

As well as another photo showing how the wall weaves around Palestinian villages:

You see the alley the wall creates? That’s the road cars are supposed to drive on to get to where they need to. 

Needless to say, the Apartheid Wall that Israel is constructing, although being built in the name of “defense”, is no more than another tool Israel is using to steal more Palestinian land, trap Palestinians, and cripple the Palestinian economy.

For more reading, you can check out the UNRWA Barrier Monitoring Unit, as well as the 2011 B’Tselem Article regarding The Wall

criticallegalthinking:

Banksy’s Christmas Card

israelfacts:

All Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank are illegal under international law.

Britain and other European countries will consider “further steps” if Israel refuses to reverse its plans for settlement expansion after a wave of diplomatic protests, the foreign secretary, William Hague, has told parliament.

Australia and Brazil joined five European countries in summoning Israeli ambassadors to hear condemnation of plans to build thousands of settler homes and develop highly sensitive land east of Jerusalem. The Israeli announcement is seen as a direct response to the UN’s recognition of Palestine as a non-member observer state. In addition to last week’s announcement, which came within hours of the UN vote, Israel said on Tuesday it would proceed with two more construction programmes in East Jerusalem.

One plan, for 1,600 homes in Ramat Shlomo, caused a major diplomatic crisis when it was originally announced, during an official visit by the US vice-president, Joe Biden, in the spring of 2010; the second planned expansion, of 2,600 homes in Givat Hamatos, will further impede access between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Despite international fury over the proposals, Hague suggested that economic sanctions against Israel were unlikely. He said: “I don’t think there is enthusiasm … about economic sanctions in Europe on Israel. I don’t believe there would be anywhere near a consensus, nor is that our approach. We continue to try to bring both sides back to negotiations.

“Nevertheless, if there is no reversal of the decision that has been announced, we will want to consider what further steps European countries should take.”

The Palestinians raised the possibility of taking legal action against Israel at the international criminal court (ICC). The senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath said: “By continuing these war crimes of settlement activities on our lands and stealing our money, Israel is pushing and forcing us to go to the ICC.”

After the UN recognition, the Palestinians are entitled to apply to join other international bodies, such as the ICC. This was one of the major reasons behind Israel’s objection to the move.

The Palestinian envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, wrote to the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, warning that Israel “will be held accountable and will have to bear the consequences of its violations and obstruction of peace efforts”.

Israel was behaving “in a rogue, hostile and arrogant manner, contravening all principles and rules of international law and reacting with contempt to the will of the international community”, the letter said.

The Guardian