Image one

The Wall and Israeli Settlements

©David B. Fankhauser, Ph.D.,
Professor of Biology and Chemistry
University of Cincinnati Clermont College,
Batavia OH 45103
Image Two
legend for image one

This page has been accessed  Counter times since 13 July 2006. 
***DATES REVISED
legend for image two
The 26 foot high wall which Israel is building for 'security' purposes, in fact slices Palestinian neighborhoods in half, making what used to be a 30 second walk across the street to visit a relative, into a 2-3 hour trip through humiliating check points.  Here, the Earlham tour group visits the wall and is moved by its graffiti:


Israel occupation decrees that building permits must be secured before construction of new homes.  Israeli settlements have no problem getting permits, but Palestinians never (less than 1%) recieve building permits.  Thus, in extremus, Palestinians MUST build for their families.  Israel brings in specially constructed  Catepillar buldozers which are designed to demolish homes.  Often, Palestinians are given 15 minutes to evacuate prior to  demolition.  You cna see photos and other personal effects in the rubbish.


This family had their home demolished by these gigantic dozers FOUR times--Imagine the effect on the children when the soldiers arrive, and the dozers, poised to destroy their home, then trashes their domicile.  International peace groups rallied to rebuild each time.   But...  Israel said that the father of the familly, in order to keep his job, could not stay in the reconstructed home.  Thus, the reconstructed home has thus become a center for meetings of the resitance, not a home for his family.





Israel is extending metastatic arms eastward into Palestine towards the Jordan, slicing Palestine into "Cantons" which can only communicate with each other through military checkpoints.  Any commercial exchange is at the pleasure of Israel, and you can guess about the frequency of that...



A monumental land grab has been extended by Israel in the fornm of Ma'ale Adummim.  This Israeli settlement extends East from Jerusalem all the way to the Jordan, completely slicing Palestine i n two pieces. 
As part of the land grab, all agriocultural lands are classified as "unoccupied:,and therefore, according to Israeli occupation "law," subject to Israeli control. Thus, all olive orchards, Beduin grazing lands, rich agricultural lands, etc, are classified as unoccupied, and Israel claims as their own as "unoccupied" lands. 


Espeically grevious is the habit of Israel to chain saw down long term olive orchards, leaving only stumps where there were once olive orchards, the "staff of life" of Palestinians.  Even more grevious, Israeli's steal ancient olive trees ( greater than 1,000 years old) and transplant them into "landscaped" traffic circles in their settlements (such as Ma'ale Adummim.)


Meanwhile,  Beduin communities are being forcefully relocated onto Jerusalem's garbage dump...
  

Leaving the Palestinain neighborhood, we sencounter Israeli military checkpoints which control all movement into and out of Palestine "cantons".  We encounter the walling off of  Palestinian neighboroods fron each other, and see the usurpation of Palestinian lands for Israeli settlements.  It is a police state.

Created using Thotor - Photo Thumbnail Generator!