Bil’in 20/05/2011
Demonstrations against the Wall
At the height of the Second Intifada, then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made the decision to construct a barrier between the West Bank and Israel. In 2003, 180km of the barrier had been completed. It was already clear that the barrier was to cause great hardships to Palestinians, especially those in areas adjacent to it. Palestinian movement was severely restricted, agricultural lands were lost and access to health and emergency services limited. Despite a 2004 ruling of the International court of Justice against the barrier, Israel carried on with its construction.
Concomitant with the construction of the wall, communities most affected by it began to organize demonstrations and invited Israeli and international activists to join. The first demonstrations occurred in Masha, Beit Sira, Kharbata and Bil’in, where determined protesters eventually brought Israeli court to move the wall further towards the nearby settlement. Gradually, more Palestinian villages joined this struggle, including communities not directly affected by the wall, such as Qaddum and Nabi Saleh.
