Separation Barrier

We have been here in Palestine for about 5 days now and the evidence is overwhelming, the separation barrier that has been errected around so much of the land here in the West Bank is awful. The Isrealis call it protection and defense but they never have to look at it! That was given to the Palestinian people in 1968 was marked by what is called the "green line". If merely for protection should follow that line yet it is clearly not following the line... running through neighborhoods, homes, farms, and families in an effort to annex as much land for Israel as possible without being noticed. The Israeli settlements in the West Bank is another issue I have witnessed first hand here in just a few hours spent in Hebron. Some settle for economic reasons (government subsidized housing for the Jewish immigrants coming back to their "home land") and others are ideological settlers (they move to claim the land for Israel wich they feel is theirs to begin with). International law prohibits the building of residential structures in an occupied land by the occupying government, but that is exactly what the settlements are. Once the military takes over an area they allow Israelis to come build homes then they build electric fences around the settlements and give them military guards (sometimes 3 guards for every 1 settler in the settlement), once that is finished they build a by-pass road to the settlement which is for Israelis only and force the Palestinians to go around the long way to all points on the other side of the settlement. Palestinians are not all Muslims... about half of them are Christians whom have lived in this land for generations and these issues are affecting them too. All Palestinians Muslim and Christian, Old and Young, Great and Poor, Farmer and Businessperson are affected the same!

1. A home surrounded by the wall on three sides. The home owners have lost all rights to their land and farm and the rest of their family which now lie on the other side of the wall and have been "annexed" by Israel.

2. View of an uncompleted portion of the separation barrier.

3. A "Banksy" painting on the wall of Bethlehem surounded by the wall and all the olive trees cut down for "security" purposes.

4 +5. A home that was bulldozed by the Israeli military as a sign of warning and power! This home was demolished after the wall was built near the home but the home was never reported to be a threat or a hinderance to the building of the wall.