On Friday July 9th, 2010, the weekly protests against the Wall and settlements in the villages of Wadi Rahal and al-Maâsara (Bethlehem District) marked the sixth anniversary of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice which condemned Israelâs construction of the Wall on July 9th, 2004. Demonstrators urged the Palestinian
Authority take steps towards achieving the application of this advisory opinion, which is a victory for the Palestinian people which has not been realized.
In Wadi Rahal, the march began in the center of the village and moved towards the Wall. The demonstrators, including the participation of international solidarity activists, carried Palestinian flags and banners calling for the necessity of activating the ICJ ruling. However, Israeli Occupation Forces suppressed the protests with a force of six military vehicles which prevented demonstrators from accessing the land isolated behind the Wall. However, protesters staged a sit-in near the wall during which the popular committee coordinator gave a speech in which he emphasized the illegitimacy of the Apartheid Wall and
settlements. He also emphasized the necessity of continuing the popular struggle against the occupation and stressed the need to work hard in achieving the activation of the ICJ advisory opinion.
In the village of al-maâsara, demonstrators held a big symbol of the Apartheid Wall to reflect Israelâs continuation of the construction of the Wall, their continuous theft of Palestinian lands, and their perpetual disregard of international law. The demonstrators then placed the symbol of the Wall on the settler road linking the settlements of Efrat and Tekoa. Afterwards, the coordinator of the popular committee of al-Maâsara, Muhammad Brijiyeh, gave a speech stressing the importance of the involvement of the international community in exerting pressure on Israel to stop their human rights violations and holding Israel accountable for its crimes.