The Wall Must Fall

international | anti-war / imperialism | event notice Thursday November 06, 2003 22:36 by Claudia Bradshaw - Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign supportpalestine at ireland dot com 01 6770253

International Day of Protest Against the Israeli Apartheid Wall

On Sunday 9th November, the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Palestinian communities will be joined by groups around the world in a day of protest against Israel's construction of the 'Apartheid Wall' which is being built throughout the West Bank. Protests will take place in Ireland, the US, the UK, across Europe and in many other countries.

In Dublin, a 'human wall' will be formed along Grafton Street. Protesters will stand quietly for one hour wearing black and holding candles to create a human solidarity wall of silence and light, as a statement of support for the world-wide campaign to demolish the wall. The event is being organised by a number of groups including Women in Black and the IPSC, and will take place from St Stephen's Green end of Grafton Street, 3.30pm – 4.30pm, Sunday 9th November.

A spokesperson for the protest said, "On November 9th 1989 the Berlin Wall fell. This was seen as an historic end to a stagnant approach to problem solving. This anniversary has been chosen to mark a day of solidarity with Palestinian people who are suffering because of the 'apartheid wall' that is being built in their midst. Family members are separated from each other. Farmers are walled out of their land. People are prevented from accessing their water supplies. Whole communities are cut off from medical care and from attending school and college."

For more information contact:

- Claudia Bradshaw, IPSC Co-ordinator: 087 6242286

Facts about the wall:

 The wall is NOT being built on the 'Green Line' which separates Israel from the Palestinian West Bank. In many places the wall cuts eastwards several kilometres into the West Bank, incorporating many of the illegal Jewish settlements and de facto annexing almost 50% of West Bank land.
 Over 200,000 Palestinian residents of the Northern West Bank are directly affected by the wall. They are either located in enclaves with their villages wedged between the Green Line and Israel or they are landowners who live one side of the wall with their land on the other side.
 In Qalqilya, parts of Tulkarem and East Jerusalem the wall is 8 metres high, twice the height of the Berlin Wall and when completed it is estimated that it will be at least 3 times as long. The Israeli government has already announced the completion of the first phase of the wall, a total of 145km.
 On 21 October 2003 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling on Israel to stop building its wall through the West Bank, which violates articles 53 and 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Some Useful Websites:

Stop the Wall Campaign: www.stopthewall.org
B'Tselem, the Israeli Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories: www.btselem.org
Jewish Voice for Peace: www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
Palestine Monitor: www.palestinemonitor.org