The Segregation Wall … New map provided for the wall by the IOF

The Israeli Occupation Forces -IOF- are daily changing the path of the Segregation Wall that is currently under construction in the northern districts of the West Bank and around East Jerusalem. The change of this path always costs the Palestinians more land and provides more facilities especially to the settlers. 

Recently, the IOF issued a map in March 2003 concerning the path of phase I of the Segregation Wall. This map shows tragic changes on the ground especially to the villages of Habla, Ras 'Atiya located to the south of the city of Qalqilya and Qaffin that is located to the north of Tulkrem. According to the route of the Segregation Wall approved in August 2002 Qalqilya, Habla and Ras 'Atiya are found in one 'Ghetto', while as it can be analyzed from the new map provided by the IOF, that the villages of Habla and Ras 'Atiya will be disconnected from the main city of Qalqilya and will be obliged to make a round trip to reach the city. The reason behind this change is that the settlers (about 2,500) living in the settlement of Matan strongly opposed to the old route of the Wall; their main concern is that the settlers of Alfei' Menche will be using a new road that passes through Matan. So, after a long pressure the Israeli Authorities decided to keep the main road that leads the settlers of Alfei Menashe to Israel open and enclave around 6,700 residents of Habla and Ras 'Atiya rendering isolated from their mother city that is Qalqilya.  See Map 1

Another fact is that an additional or secondary wall will imprison 21 Palestinian localities into 6 'Ghettos' in the area between the main Segregation Wall and this new secondary wall which will create enclaves as in the case of Qalqiliya where the wall turns into a shape of a bottle. The localities are found in the following table:  Table 1

 Source: ARIJ- GIS Database 2003…
* PCBS 2002 population projections … PCBS 1997

See Map 2 

Prepared by:  
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem