Marda Villagers Shut Down Settler Road Calling for End to Occupation
Latest News, The Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, June 4th, 2005
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| Above: "Down with the Occupation" |
Over 200 villagers from Marda shut down one of the main settler-bypass roads in the West Bank for several hours, as they stepped up their resistance to the Occupation and its apartheid infrastructure. Clashes broke out as Palestinians marched on to the bypass road - linking the Ariel settlement bloc to the 1948 areas and across to the Jordan Valley - calling for an end to the colonization of their lands and the Apartheid Wall.
The villagers, joined by Palestinians from across Salfit and Ramallah districts, gathered at 10.30 and marched from the centre of the village to the bypass road which cuts through their lands. Occupation Forces prevented access to the road pushing demonstrators back leading to a stand off. Villagers then cut across their lands and onto the road, bringing traffic of the colonizers to a standstill.
Occupation Forces kicked, punched and beat protestors who remained steadfast in their continued resistance to the Israeli Apartheid project. Demonstrators regrouped and descended on another bypass road currently under construction on land confiscated from the village. The protestors rallied on the land for several hours making their message clear that they will never accept the ghettoization the Occupation seeks to impose on them through its Apartheid projects.
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| Above: Villagers refuse to accept colonization project of their land |
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| Above: Stand off as Palestinians march towards settlers-only road |
Marda village is located in central Salfit District, with a population of around 2000 and originally located on an area of 9160 dunums. Of the village lands, 3600 dunums was confiscated for the settlement of Ariel located immediately to the south of Marda's lands. In addition, 300 dunums of the village’s lands have been confiscated and destroyed for the construction of settlement bypass roads.
The Apartheid Wall will steal a further 600 dunums of Marda's land for the footprint of the Wall together with the lands which will be annexed behind it to facilitate the expansion of the Ariel colony. The Wall snakes around the immediate south of the village and taken with the Apartheid roads to the north, ensures the ghettoization of the population.
Occupation surveyors and Wall path technicians have already begun the initial work for the construction of the Wall with the land due to be destroyed over the next few months. In addition, 300 dunums have been confiscated in the north of the village for the new bypass road which is under daily construction. Slicing through the lands, the settler road will provide a corridor from Tel Aviv to Jordan and as part of the Zionist project of the continual colonization of Palestinian land. Together, the Wall and related Apartheid infrastructure will almost completely encircle Marda to strip villagers of their lands and ghettoize them.
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| Above: Occupation Forces beat, kick and punch children protesting theft of their land |
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| Above: Victory: Palestinians vow to continue their resistance until the end of the Occupation and its Apartheid project |
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