Palestinian Village of Nu'aman Cut Off by the Illegal Israeli Land-Grab, Apartheid Wall Near Bethlehem

Separation Barrier completely cuts off West Bank village

Date: 22 / 02 / 2008 Time: 13:13
Bethlehem – Ma'an -

The Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem warned on Friday that the West Bank village of Nu’aman, near Bethlehem has become further isolated by the Land-Grab, Apartheid Wall (called by Israeli writers as Separation Barrier to make it sound less serious than it is in reality), completely severing the village from both East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

"Already, this isolation has gravely affected all aspects of life for the 170 residents," B'Tselem said in a statement.

The organization has called on the Israeli government to dismantle the section of the Separation Wall, separating Nu’man from the rest of the West Bank, or alter its route to enable the villagers to maintain their natural connection to their surrounding area. "If the government chooses not to do this, it must grant the residents Jerusalem residency status," they said.

The village lies in the southeast edge of the Jerusalem Municipality most of its residents do not have Israeli identity cards. While the Israeli occupation government invests heavily in the expansion of nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Har Homa, part of which is built on Nu'aman's land, families in Nu'aman cannot expand their homes and face the threat of demolition. The Jerusalem Municipality does not provide any services to the village, but it prohibits building there and recently issued orders to demolish a number of houses.

In 2003, B'Tselem issued a report on the impact of the separation wall and settlement expansion on the village. Since then, with the completion of the barrier, the situation has deteriorated. The only way the villagers can get to the West Bank is through a checkpoint staffed by the Border Police, which restricts passage to residents and a handful of service providers. Only five vehicles have a permit to cross the checkpoint. Mostly residents must make their way to and from the checkpoint on foot, carrying their purchases and other objects a distance of about one and a half kilometers.

The restrictions on movement endured by the residents for a number of years have paralyzed their economic life and greatly impaired their ability to receive health services and maintain family and social ties. On their way to school, the children are often delayed at the checkpoint while they and their bags are checked.

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