Statement
Written by “The People Who Have Been Affected by the Apartheid Wall
in the Qalqiliay District”
December 29, 2002
(translated from the original Arabic)
To the steadfast residents of Qalqiliya, Jibara, A-Ras, Kufr Sur, Kufr Zibad, Kufr Jamal, Falamya, Jayous, Azoun, Isle, A-Tabib, Nabi Elias, Hable, Ras Attieh, Ras Tireh, Rasha, A-Daba’a, Salman, Jaloud, Beit Amin, Azoun Atmeh, Kufr Thilith, Siniriah, and Masha, and all of you in the northern West Bank that are affected by the Apartheid Wall.
We, the people who have been affected by the Apartheid Wall in the Qalqiliya District, write this statement on behalf of all of you, and in the name of all of the families and farmers who have been affected, and in the name of all peace-loving people, in the name of justice and human rights, and in the name of all those who defend the oppressed. In this statement, we declare our absolute rejection to the establishment of the Apartheid Wall on the village lands of Jenin, Tulkarem, and Qalqiliya Districts.
This Apartheid Wall in all of its aspects represents the Occupation in its ugliest face. It is built for hatred and separating between peoples and cultures. It is a stealing of land and water, and a changing of the historical and demographic status of these areas. It is the uprooting of trees and the destruction of nature. It is in opposition to all that is human and civilized.
The magnitude of the destruction due to the creation of this Apartheid Wall is a crime against all human beings. This Wall will be built alongside more than 45 kilometers of the best lands of the Qalqiliya District, in order to destroy, confiscate and isolate more than 35 thousand dunums of trees, vegetables, and greenhouses. We ask, What kind of damage and destruction awaits, and what does the future hold for these people? These farmers inherited from their ancestors a love of the land, and a working of the land which they have lived on their entire lives; their culture, history, dreams and stories are all connected to this land. How can they loose this land? It is not just the only source of food for their children, but also their culture and life.
It is a tragedy for all of humanity that such forms of oppression are done against the poor and the defenseless, all the while the oppressor is heard and believed as he justifies and cheats other nations and cultures. And, under the slogans of “security” and fighting “terror”, the crimes are committed. How can people give their blessing to this oppressor, as he acquires the financial support to establish this Wall and to commit his crime.
We are calling all people of conscience and our friends from all nations, including from Israel, to stand with us and to help the oppressed and to stop this crime which is growing day by day, as you yourself bear witness.
We, on behalf of all those affected by the Wall, say to our friends in Europe and all over the world that tomorrow and the day after, when they have changed the shape of the area and have raped our land, they will export to you during Christmas and other occasions beautiful red roses with a label marked “From the Land of Israel”. But, you must know, oh friends of humanity, that this rose might have been planted on the ruins and the graves of the poor, of these very farmers. And, it will be irrigated from the water of their children and maybe, who knows, from the blood of these children.
Now is the time for the world to know the truth of what is taking place here, and not as it is shown in the biased media. Let us say in one voice, “Rescue the oppressed, the poor, the children, the elderly, and women! Save these farmers and their land! Stop the oppressor in order to allow these farmers to continue living their livers in peace and on their lands!” We ask the Palestinian Authority to stand strongly beside these villages that have been affected and declare this region a disaster area. We ask the Palestinian Legislative Council to hold a session to discuss what is taking place and take concrete steps to have our voices and suffering heard by all parties interested in this issue—Palestinian, Arab and Internationals. We ask our civil society organizations, who we know from our own experience, are usually standing with the poor and the farmers, to intensify their efforts on our behalf in the coming period and to work intensively to prepare programs and activities to support farmers to stay on their lands.
On behalf of all of those affected by the building of the Apartheid Wall, we thank our friends from the various committees and international solidarity movements for their great support and their pursuit to seek the truth about what the Occupation does to human beings and land in Palestine. We ask all of you to intensify the solidarity campaigns and to carry the message of peace from the Palestinian people all over the world.
The People Who Have Been Affected by the Apartheid Wall in the Qalqiliya District
December 29, 2002
