The walls are built, the fences are erected. Plots of land, work places, schools and relatives are already across the fence for dozens of thousands of Palestinians. Now they are required to fill forms in order to remain in their homes on this side of the fence. This is the bureaucratic basis for the crawling transfer that is taking place. The fences that extend within the West Bank threaten to further imprison thousands of Palestinians in the near future. Their lives, besieged and surrounded, are limited to a narrow area; only occasionally are some of them allowed out, through a guarded gate or roadblock. A ghetto life.

The village of Deir Ballut has been suffering since the beginning of the Intifada from closure and restrictions. According to the IDF map, it will be surrounded by a fence on all sides (together with the villages Zawie and Rafat), and will become an enclave, completely isolated from the rest of the West Bank. The building of a school in the village (with USaid money) was stopped due to the land expropriation for the fence, and a demolition order was issued to the building.

This Saturday, Ta’ayush wished to join Anarchists Against the Fence  for a joint demonstration with the people of Deir Ballut and the neighboring villages.

We wished to mark the end of the Israeli-Palestinian protest camp, which led a number of activities against the fence. During one of these activities the army shot and wounded Gil Na’amati last Friday. This shooting exposed the fact that the military regulations include shooting every person “suspected” of approaching the fence or touching it. Minister of Interior Defense Uzi Landau explained in a radio interview that the fence “is not capable of handling demonstrations”, and that shooting those who harm it is for purposes of deterring, passing a message and preventing its dismantlement.

Under these circumstances, it is vital that the activities against the fences and walls be with massive participation. For us, Ta’ayush activists, it is a double expression solidarity. First, towards the Palestinian, dispossessed of their lands, prevented from formal life and circulation and subject to the daily arbitrariness and violence of the occupation army. Second, it is a joint activity with a group of Israeli anti-occupation activists, who were shot at last week, and who are under savage attack of military and government spokesmen, as well as some of the media. These are partners in combat, who often participate in all forms of opposition to the occupation.