Israeli Bulldozers Return to Encaged Qalqiliya City to
Make Way for Wall "Buffer Zone"
The Same Day Sharon Declares "Handover" of City
Israeli Bulldozers Return to Encaged Qalqiliya City to Make Way for Wall
"Buffer Zone"
Aug 17. Qalqiliya, Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign/PENGON. Israeli bulldozers,
accompanied with three military jeeps along with armed guards of the Israeli
construction companies, began bulldozing 50 dunums of lands along the
eastern side of the Qalqiliya Wall for its so-called "buffer zone". Among
the destruction were vegetables crops and water pipes. The buffer zone of
this portion of the Wall will be 50 meters wide and run the length of 2
kilometers.
The decision to restart the work in the area was sudden and with no
notification as very few people among the landowners were present upon the
arrival of the bulldozers. The last time the bulldozers arrived inside this
part of the city was some 6 months ago. The building of the Wall itself, a
massive construct of some 8 meters in height, took place nearly one year
ago.
According to Kayed Atta, one of the nearby inhabitants, the bulldozers came
in the morning while he was on his land in the western side of the Wall; he
went and informed the land owners, the governorate, and the municipality.
Hassan Kharouf, one of the land owners who has already lost about 70 dunums
of his land for the construction of the concrete Wall, is about to lose an
additional 70 dunums. According to Kharouf some six months ago the farmers
in Qalqiliya received a "warning" by the Israeli "Civil Administration"
office based in the settlement of Kedumim to evacuate their lands. They were
informed today by the Israeli authorities that they have two weeks to remove
their greenhouses, before the bulldozers themselves destroy them. The lands
threatened belong to some forty families, including Assad Attallah, Fahmi
abd Assallam, Ibrahim Youssef, and Khalil Albaz.
The Israeli Occupation Forces declared the area a "closed military zone" in
order to coerce the farmers and the media to leave, but the farmers refused
to leave and managed, with the assistance of international activists, to
build a tent where they will be staying to protect their lands.
This latest Israeli offensive coincides with Sharon's declaration of his
government's interest to "transfer control" to the Palestinian Authority of
the two Palestinian cities of Qalqiliya and Jericho.
For more information:
Please contact:
Amira Silmi, PENGON, Campaign Against the Apartheid Wall,
Tel: +972-2-6565890, Mobile: +972-67-465350
Hassan Kharouf, Qalqiliya, Mobile: +972-52-234207
Kayed Atta, Qalqiliya, Mobile: +972-50-423507
www.pengon.org
