On May 1, the Wall was moved in Jayyus. Villagers turned out to celebrate, finally able to walk on land that has been isolated for years.
However, the new route does not alleviate the basic hardships created by the Wall. 227 dunums were confiscated and razed for the construction of the new route. Furthermore, the westward shift will only return 2,408 dunums; a mere forth of the 8,600 that was originally isolated. Occupation forces still control access to this land, and it is guaranteed that it will used for the expansion of the Zufin settlement. The construction of infrastructure for the new part of the settlement called “North Zufim” has already begun, and the creation of housing units is imminent.
The modification scheme is not new, and in the past the re-routing of the Wall has always been promoted as beneficial for the local communities. However, such talk is disingenuous, as the movement of the Wall merely returns a fraction of what was initially stolen. 85% of the people of Jayyus who made their living as farmers still cannot access their land. 6,000 trees were destroyed for the first path, and hundreds more will be lost.
With the Wall standing, soldiers will still maintain control over the majority of village land while movement, social ties and economic activity will continue to deteriorate.
Jayyus was the first village that mounted regular, large-scale protests against the construction of the Wall when it was first being built. This struggle will continue until the Wall is destroyed and every stolen dunum returned.
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