***image2***Since July, confiscation orders have been distributed in large scale in west Bethlehem and north Hebron. Within three weeks, six confiscation orders were given that together will create a half circle to isolate west Bethlehem from the city of Bethlehem. In Khader, the Wall will be 10 km long and will confiscate approximately 1000 dunums for its footprint alone in an expansive green area planted with olives, figs and grapes. Land confiscation orders were followed by another order to demolish 51 houses where four houses have already been destroyed.
The Wall will then continue to Irtas, where north of the village, a wall 1717 meters long will be built on 162 dunums. It will extend over to Rahal valley to create a half circle and turn back to the southern lands of Irtas. This southern segment of the Apartheid Wall will be 1664 meters long, destroying 155 dunums in itâs path. At a later stage, it will continue to Jouret ash Shama across 4533 meters on 448 dunums.
The section of the Wall that aims to isolate west Bethlehem will connect to the southern section west of Hebron. Beginning in Beit Omar, 466 dunums will be uprooted and destroyed to build approximately 4680 meters of the Wall. This will then connect with the 1156 meter wall on Surifâs 112 dunums, and then connect with another 740 meter wall stretching over 58 dunums in Al Jaba.
More than 20,000 Palestinians from villages in the west Bethlehem district will be isolated behind the wall. The original design of the Wall that was supposedly cancelled in this area was replaced by a new path between the villagers and the green line. Villagers from Nahhalin, Battir, Husan and wadi Fukin will be trapped between two walls, one between them and the rest of Bethlehem district (to the east of these villages), and the second to the west, closer to the green line.
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