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Occupation Forces Close Two Gates in Jenin
Latest News, PENGON/Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, August 30th, 2004

Above: Separating villages from their land is one of the main impacts of the Apartheid Wall.

On August 20, Occupation Forces have closed the second of two Wall gates in Jenin district. As we reported last week, Occupation Forces closed the Tura gate on August 16 and now they have also closed the Barta’a gate. Occupation Forces opened a new gate near Zibda village which has now become the only entrance or exit for the people living in this area; this is now the only gate in all of Jenin district.

The new gate is also situated near a bypass road which runs between settlements that are located on both the eastern and western sides of the Wall. Now, this gate becomes a new form of suffering for the people in this area.

The villages located in this area are already experiencing major social and economic destruction. In villages such as Al Raadya, Dhahr al Malih and Um Rehan, which were all isolated west of the Wall (to be annexed along with the settlement lands of Hinnanit, Shaqed and Rehan), the people who once needed only 10 minutes to reach there work and schools, now need 2 hours – at least.

In Al Raadya and Dhahr al Malih, there is no school, so the students have to go to Barta’a village which is located 500 meters away. However, because of the Wall and the closing of the gates, the students now need to travel about 21km each way.

The new gate is a way of making life incredibly hard for the Palestinian people. They are denied freedom of movement and other basic rights. They are forced to wait for long hours at the gate and must withstand consistent humiliation as well from the Occupation soldiers at the gate.

Above: The Apartheid Wall has major negative social and economic impacts in isolated villages as well as all others. For too many children, getting to school becomes just a dream.