Palestinian family cut off by Israeli wall
RaMaLLah: The logic of an Israeli wall north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank appears clear – on one side Palestinians, on the other, the Israeli settlement of Beit El.
But look carefully and you will see a small gap in part of it leading into a courtyard where the Palestinian Jumaa family live.
The newly built part of the wall, which stretches along the road next to the settlement, has left the 25 members of the extended family on the opposite side to the rest of the Palestinian town of ElBireh.
They are, they say, partially cut off from the outside world, sometimes having to cross through an Israeli checkpoint just to buy milk and bread.
“The wall separated us from the people and from Palestinians. I feel I am inside the settlement, even though I am Palestinian,” said 54yearold Hossam Jumaa, a father of eight. “Now we live alone.”
At the house, the children of the three families play in the shadow of the sixmetre wall, while their vegetable plots run towards the barrier.
The family said they were told three years ago by Israeli authorities that they would extend the wall along the road, leaving them on the other side.
But they said construction increased after US President Donald Trump’s Dec 6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, which led to widespread protests and the Palestinian government freezing ties with the US administration.
The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state, which they say is being rapidly eroded by Israeli settlement growth throughout the West Bank.
The Israeli defence ministry said the wall was necessary “following a significant number of gunfire incidents from vehicles toward the Beit El community”.
“The barrier does not harm any private land, does not block access to houses and does not change anything on the ground,” it said.
“There is no harm to Palestinians or their land.”
The wall cutting off the Jumaa family is different from Israel’s controversial separation barrier sealing off the West Bank from Israel.
Israel began building the barrier in 2002 during the bloody second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, arguing it was necessary to stop Palestinian attackers.
According to the United Nations, around 65% of the separation barrier has so far been constructed, with more than 80% inside the West Bank.
The United Nations says it “impedes access to services and resources, disrupts family and social life (and) undermines livelihoods”.
The wall affecting the Jumaas ranks among the barriers, fences and private security protecting West Bank settlements.
The Jumaa family said they have asked for support from Palestinian politicians to oppose the wall, but have had little help. — AFP