“The Israelis made a fence around the settlement, then they put in a small gate so we could get to our olive trees. They gave us the key and let us come and go for the first year. Then they changed the lock and put a guard on. But he doesn’t come on the Sabbath and holidays and when he is sick. Then one day he doesn’t come at all and you can’t get to your land. Then they declare you are not working on your land and seize it.” [1]
–Abdul Karim Ahmad, Palestinian Farmer.

Fact Sheet:

Israel’s goal in building the “security” wall is twofold: (1) to confiscate Palestinian land in order to facilitate further colony expansion and unilaterally redraw geopolitical borders and (2) to encourage an exodus of Palestinians by denying them the ability to earn a living from their land, by denying them adequate water resources, and by restricting freedom of movement to such extent as to make remaining in the town or village an unviable option.

The first phase of the wall’s construction is complete. If the wall were truly about security, the wall would have been built on Israel ’s 1967 pre-occupation border (the “Green Line”). However, the wall is not being built on the Green Line, but rather well within Occupied Palestinian Territory .

The Case of Daba – Palestinians Trapped Between the Wall and the Green Line

For an accompanying map, see www.nad-plo.org/maps/focusqal.pdf

* Daba is located in the governorate of Qalqilya and has a population of approximately 250 Palestinians.

* There are 40 homes, two schools and a mosque situated on the town’s 2,000 dunums [2] of land. The village children attend Daba’s schools until the 7th grade, the school in the neighboring village of Ras Atiya until the 10th grade and the school in the neighboring town of Habla for the 11th and 12th grades.

* There are no hospitals or medical clinics in the village and consequently, Daba residents rely on medical facilities located in Qalqilya.

* The residents of Daba are largely dependent upon agricultural produce, namely citrus and olive production.

* In 1983, Israel confiscated approximately 125 dunums of Daba’s land for the construction of the illegal Israeli colony of Alfe Menashe. The colony’s residents enjoy running water and electricity, while the Palestinian residents of Daba rely upon water shipments and generators.

Effects of the Wall on Daba

* The Israeli Army has constructed a militarily-fortified barrier, situated 40 meters away from the homes in Daba. The residents of Daba, like those in 15 other communities, are trapped west of the wall, while their farmlands are east of the wall.

* Construction of the wall has involved the use of explosives, and, owing to the immediate proximity of the blasting, has damaged 15 homes and the village’s school.

* Approximately 250 dunums (more than 10% of the village’s land) have been confiscated for construction of the wall.

* The erection of the wall has resulted in the physical separation of Daba’s residents from 1,200 dunums of their agricultural land and primary source of income. Israel claims that the wall will have “agricultural gates,” however the Israeli government has not yet officially published information about what protocols will govern passage through these gates, nor who will be allowed passage and on what terms. [3] Until such “gates” are built, Daba farmers travel up to 5 kilometers to reach their fields if they are permitted to leave the village at all.

* Both entrances to the village are now gated. After a peaceful demonstration on August 15, 2003 , Israeli occupation authorities refused to open the gates for four days. Israeli occupation authorities have refused to open the gates for up to a week at a time.

* Water trucks that currently provide the only source of drinking water for the town’s residents, will be unable to enter the town if the Israeli Army refuses to open the village gates.

* The area is already slated to be a “closed military zone” whose fate will be unknown. No individuals or goods will be allowed to enter Daba without a permit from the Israeli occupation authorities.

* Israel has already announced that it intends to use the area to build additional colonies, namely Karni’el and Elonit, and to expand the existing illegal Israeli colony of Alfe Menashe. On January 26, 2003 , a military order to confiscate land for a new 22 meter wide road in the area was issued. It is assumed that the new road currently under construction will be for the benefit of settlers in Karne Shomron.

1 Chris McGreal, Villagers Fear Being Forced Out by Being Locked In, THE GUARDIAN (UK), May 14, 2003.
2 1 dunum = ¼ acre.
3 In areas where agricultural gates are in place, the Israeli Army has only allowed a few people to access their lands. For example, in the city of Qalqilya, where hundreds of Palestinians rely on farming as their only source of income, only 13 of 262 landowners have been granted irregular access to their lands.