Peace in the Middle East

The Continuing Struggle Over the Separation Barrier/Aparthied Wall

by Charles Lenchner

Published October 26, 2008 @ 09:08AM PST

Most of us "in the know" activists are aware that Israel has constructed a very long barrier within the West Bank that was either constructed to wall in Palestinian bantustans, or was established to safeguard Israel from terrorist activity. Perhaps both? [See the ever-wonderful Wikipedia article about it.] What we might not know is the Friday routine of demonstrations and clashes taking place in a few West Bank villages.

In the village of Bil'in, the barrier separates some agricultural land from the homes of the villagers who tend to it.  The residents - together with other organizations of Israelis, internationals and Palestinians - have been protesting the construction of the barrier since the route was announced. Weekly protests have been ongoing since 2005.

Friends of Freedom and Justice in Bil'in is an organization based in the village that solicits support and documents the ongoing struggle. This fairly typical report is from this past Friday:

The demonstrators marched in the village chanting against the discriminatory policies of the occupation and calling for a national unity among the Palestinians, while they were carrying ladders and tools to pick olives. When the protest reached the gate, protesters tried to access the land to pick olives, but they were stopped by sound grenades and teargas canisters. Dozens suffered inhalation.

What was special about this past week was this:

A week ago, the protesters succeeded in removing a gate in the wall and are now using it in a parking lot for cars in the village. The Popular Committee said about this incident “Any tool that the occupation uses to oppress us, we will use it for our own services.” Palestinians have the determination and the belief that this wall will be removed.

Sorry folks, but that's funny. The protesters "liberated" a gate and are now using it for a parking lot. I couldn't tell if the author of the protest report understands why that's funny. And now, some links.

Comments

  1. Arthur Rabinovitz

    Sir,

    I find this entire post to be outside the policy of this website and it should be removed.
    using language that is inflamitory like "bantustans" shows exactly how biased this site and this poster really are.
    this post showed be removed and this posted should be banned

    Posted by Arthur Rabinovitz on 11/11/2008 @ 10:33AM PST

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  2. Charles Lenchner

    Tell us why the word 'bantustan' is wrong in this instance. I would agree that using that word is biased, but tell us why it can't logically apply in this instance? What is your preferred word for the pieces of Palestinian land surrounded by an Israeli barrier?

    Posted by Charles Lenchner on 11/11/2008 @ 10:54AM PST

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  3. Arthur Rabinovitz

    Easy
    Bantustan refers specificly to something that occured in South Africa.

    Being that my home in israel is only a few feet from this fence I can say that the use of the word bantustan does not apply either logicly or geographicly.

    Posted by Arthur Rabinovitz on 11/11/2008 @ 10:58AM PST

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  4. Charles Lenchner

    Bantustan has come to mean something beyond what it was at first. The policy of 'Bantustanization' was to push the native Black African people into small areas surrounded by newly created, artificial borders. As many blacks as possible were told that they were now 'citizens' of said Bantustan, and forced to comply with various regulations to work outside of them.

    The parallel to Palestine is clear. In the past, after Israel occupied more Palestinians after 1967, Palestinians could travel and work as they pleased. In a long succession of measures, they were restricted more and more.

    The construction of roads for Jews and Israelis only, the erection of the barrier, the roadblocks seperating Palestinian areas for other Palestinian areas, have mimiced, so some extent, elements of the Apartheid era Bantustan policy. On the one hand, you are free to reject the parallel, and argue why it should not apply. But we are going to use the standard of 'would a reasonable person see the logic of it.' In this case, so many people have seen that logic, that it can be said to exist.

    Among those who agree with it are outgoing Prime Minister Olmert, former Minister of Education Shulamit Aloni and a whole raft of others whose opinions matter.

    Posted by Charles Lenchner on 11/11/2008 @ 11:59AM PST

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  5. Michael Ross

    Charles, The barrier was constructed as a result of several years of suicide bombers blowing themselves up in Israeli markets, buses, schools and restaurants, almost every family in Israel either suffered directly or knows someone hurt or killed from these terrorist activities.

    To now call the wall a Bantustan is about as far from the truth as you can get. The wall resulted as a defensive measure to terrorist activites instigated from the Palestinian population. It has saved thousands of lives.

    Posted by Michael Ross on 11/19/2008 @ 07:10PM PST

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Charles Lenchner Charles Lenchner
Brooklyn, NY

Charles is a nonprofit professional with 20 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations in Israel, Palestine and the U.S. For the past few years, he's been specializing in online organizing.

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