Azzun/Kafr Thulth
***image2***Over 600 villagers from Azzun and Kafr Thulth in Qalqiliya gathered on lands confiscated by the Occupation Forces for its Apartheid Wall in their ongoing resistance to the theft and destruction of their lands. Here the Apartheid Wall, in conjunction with the Jewish-only bypass roads with their buffer zones and metal fences, ghettoizes villagers, cutting them off from their lands.
Hundreds of protestors responded to the activities called for by the National Committee To Resist Apartheid Wall, gathering on the confiscated lands at 11.30 am. Occupation Forces held up demonstrators from Kafr Thulth, and other surrounding villages, for over an hour. They refused to turn back and eventually their determination enabled villagers from across the district to gather in Azzun.
Speeches from members of the local popular committee of the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, together with representatives of the National Committee, called for continuing resistance to the Occupation and its Apartheid Wall, to the cheers and applause of the crowd. The people then gathered to pray on the confiscated area symbolizing the deep attachment held for their lands. Over 10,000 dunums, many of them rich in olive trees and almonds dating back to Roman times, have been destroyed or isolated by the Apartheid Wall.
Prayers lasted for around half an hour, followed by chanting and more speeches condemning the system of apartheid which the Occupation Forces are trying to impose upon the people. Clashes then ensued and Occupation Forces fired rounds of tear gas at school children and youths who repelled them with stones, leading to the Occupation Forces leaving the area.
Zawiya
***image3***Around 800 people gathered in the centre of Zawiya, drawing in large crowds from surrounding villages. Gathering near the mosque at 10.30 am, villagers then marched to the Western areas of the villages where construction of the Apartheid Wall is ongoing.
Occupation Forces had already evacuated their equipment from the area early that morning, knowing it would be targeted by the popular movement resisting the Apartheid Wall.
A tense stand-off developed as villagers descended upon the confiscated lands where the destruction of the wall is being intensified on a daily basis. Occupation Forces withdrew each time the crowd surged forward. Finally villagers reached the uprooted lands, while Occupation Forces fled from the area.
The crowd prayed upon the land, reflecting their determination to fight the construction of the Apartheid Wall on every inch of their land.
Click here to see reports of resistance activities from Wednesday 30th April.
Click here to read the schedule of activities for Land Week.
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