The Palestinian town of Qalqilja used to be a thriving commercial hub. Now it is a ghost town, cut off from the rest of the world by an ugly wall surrounding the district. The wall has also separated it from 45% of its agricultural land and 70% of its wells. “It’s like putting the town inside a prison,” complains mayor Maaruf Zahran. However, despite the Palestinians’ objections, Israel is determined to push ahead with its controversial wall. Everything has been forced to give way to the bulldozers. Farmers have been separated from their livelihoods and communities broken up. Israel has offered compensation to affected farmers and is building gates to allow them to access their lands. Unfortunately, the gates are only open for limited, irregular hours which often leaves Palestinians stranded. “I came through this morning and now I have waited for three hours but they won’t open it again and I can’t go home,” laments one elderly woman. There is also concern that the wall is being used to annex Palestinian land. Bt’selem, the Israeli Human Rights organisation, claims that it will lead to the appropriation of at least an additional 10% of the West Bank. It will also make it virtually impossible for a Palestinian state to survive on its own – one of the key objectives of the roadmap.

Produced by DR