Israel is Methodizing the Policy of Racial Discrimination in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Throughout its occupation of the Palestinian Territory, Israel adopted an Apartheid Regime, confiscated thousands of dunums of the Palestinian lands, installing the checkpoints and terminals, building illegal settlements outposts, bypass roads and finally building the Illegal Israeli Apartheid Segregation Wall to loot as much as possible of the Palestinian lands and unilaterally reshape the political borders of Israel on the expense of the Palestinian people.

In September 2005, Israel had declared its plan to build 10 Terminals and 23 crossings throughout the route of the Segregation Wall in the West Bank .Later on, and in the year 2006 a new plan of an additional 7 crossings declared by the Israeli authorities, which raises the number of crossings that will be built in the Occupied Territory to 30.

In September 2005, the Israeli occupation forces handed out residents of Al Khas and Al Nu'man villages four military orders for land confiscation, the first was claimed for military purposes, mainly to construct a trade passage on lands of An Nu'man village (Mazmurya Passage), the second is to construct two new roads and the third to construct a road that will lead to Har Homa settlement south of the city of Jerusalem and the forth is for the Segregation Wall path.

The military orders hold numbers (156-5-T), (154-5-T), (155-5-T) & (52-05). Furthermore, in September 2007 the Israeli forces had issued an additional two new military orders holding numbers (31/07/T), (2/07/T) declaring the confiscation of an additional 22 dunums from Al Khas and An- Nu'man villages to expand Mazmurya trade passage. The pretext used in the military order is to establish safe zone as the X-ray machines to operate in the terminal will have negative effect on the people of the two villages with in close distance.  Table 1: Details of the military orders in Al Khas and Al Nu'man communities

Source: ARIJ Military Orders

 Database – 2008

Mazmurya Trade Passage

Mazmurya trade passage is one of the six Terminals and Passages Israel announced in to set up within the path of the Segregation Wall to control the movement of Palestinian citizens and goods in the Bethlehem governorate. The six terminals are:

• Mazmuria in the eastern entrance of Bethlehem Governorate.

• Gilo 300 Terminal at the northern entrance of the city of Bethlehem.

• Al Walajeh Terminal northwest of Bethlehem city.

• Um Salamouna Terminal southwest of Bethlehem city.

• Al Khader Terminal west of Bethlehem city.

• Al Jaba'a southwest of Bethlehem city.

Now, after Israel had finished the construction of the Mazmurya terminal, it adopted a new procedure there. Palestinian Jerusalemites are not allowed to use the crossing terminals particularly the residents of Sur Baher and Um Tuba villages, which are only 3 km away from the terminal and they can use it to reach to their relatives in the adjacent Bethlehem villages of Al Khas and Al Nu'man. Just to make things more clear: Arab-Palestinians are not allowed through the terminal just because they are Arabs and the terminal is designated only for Jews.

Accordingly, 'Ir 'Amim organization had submitted a remonstration letter to the Israeli Ministry of Security condemning the Israeli procedure and demanding to enable the Palestinian Jerusalemites to use the terminal instead of compelling them to drive to pass through the Beit Jala, Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, to reach their destination in Al Khas and Al Nu'man villages, which means that they have to travel through an alternative15 km root to reach their destination instead of the traditional 3 km root.  

During a field work to Mazmurya terminal, conducted by the aforementioned organization, the Israeli soldiers stationed at the terminal stated that only the Israeli citizens and especially the Israeli settlers of Nokdim and Toque settlements located south of Bethlehem Governorate can pass through the terminal. See Pictures of Mazmuria Terminal

To Conclude

The Israel built or under construction terminals and passages along the route of the Apartheid Segregation Wall in the West Bank is indisputable form of 'collective punishment' practiced by Israel against the Palestinians and intended to tighten and confine the areas where Palestinian move from one place to another. It also reflects Israel's objective to unilaterally reshape the geographical and political map of the Occupied Territory by imposing fact on the ground according to the Israeli colonial interests and Mazmurya terminal is a typical example on the Illegal colonial practices enforced by the Israeli occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Article 2 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights reads that: 'Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.' Also Article 13 states also that: Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.'

Prepared by 
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem