The people of al Khader gathered in their second Friday demonstration to protest against their ghettoization through the Apartheid Wall. Construction of the Wall will isolate the villagesâ land and involve a series of house demolitions. Mass protests began last week as the village becomes set to loose 20,000 dunums of land.
After Friday prayers, around 300 people from the village staged a powerful march from the mosque to the lands which lie immediately south-west of the village. The construction of the Wall will isolate and destroy the peopleâs lands. Moreover, homes are under threat from imminent destruction and street vendors are being expelled from the area.
The demonstration was double the size of that which took place the previous week as villagers mobilized to show their determination to resist the Wall. Carrying placards and banners, demonstrators vowed to halt the Occupationâs project and continue to struggle for liberation.
Protests have been triggered by the fresh threats made to village life and existence. On Tuesday 6th of June, 30 street vendors received âexpulsion ordersâ from their stalls which line the road leading from Bethlehem to Hebron. Three houses received demolition orders. On Wednesday June 14, the Occupation closed 5 agricultural roads in al Khader, placing cement blocks across the street. This effectively isolates 20,000 dunums of al Khaderâs lands planted with grapes and an additional 15,000 dunums belonging to other villages throughout the Bethlehem district.
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