***image1***There is now only 30 meters left of a second Wall being built near the village of Zeita, north of Tulkarem, which will further imprison communities north of Zeita between the Apartheid Wall and the Green Line. This second Wall extends west of the Apartheid Wall from Quffin down to Zeita, whereby it confines Baqa ash Sharqiyya, Nazlat Isa, and Nazlat Abu Nar into a ghetto. The Occupation military issued an order last week to confiscate more of Zeitaâs lands for this second wall, now the total land confiscated for the building of the Wall in Zeita is 326 dunums*. Another 613 dunums are isolated from the village upon which 225 dunums the second wall has been built. The isolation and destruction of land is depriving some 70% of the village dependent on agriculture from their main income source.
There are two gates along the Wall in Zeita, the southern one was finalized in April before the Wall was âcompletedâ and has never been opened for passage. The northern gate is inconsistently open for 15 minutes three times a dayâbut only for those villagers with permits. Residents in Zeita have reported that the northern gate remained closed throughout October. This was during the same month that the Occupation military issued an order declares all lands west of the Wall as a âseam zoneâ area, where all Palestinians are required to obtain permits to remain on or access the isolated land. Most all residents in Zeita have resisted applying for permits.
The complete inability to access land has lead to the demise of numerous agricultural crops, especially those in greenhouses. Currently, it is the season for the cucumber but the harvest is threatened with the Wallâs permanent closure. The farmers are forced to go around to Baqa ash Sharqiya, with work finishing on the second Wall people will be entirely unable to access their lands.
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