In an advisory opinion, rendered on 9 July 2004, the International Court of Justice stated that Israel’s construction of the Wall in the occupied Palestinian Territory was illegal and called for its immediate dismantling. Five years later, the advisory opinion has been met only by inaction: Israel continues constructing the Wall and the international community remains silent. Oxfam International underscores the urgency of addressing this situation in a compilation of testimonies that is published today.
In its publication Five years of illegality, Oxfam International presents testimonies of fifteen Palestinian men and women who recount their daily problems, arising from the construction of the Wall and its associated regime of land confiscation and permits, and the construction and expansion of settlements.
Tragic consequences
Farmers separated from their fields, workers without access permits, pregnant women unable to reach the hospital, villages without adequate access to water. The UN estimates that in the north of the West Bank approximately 80 per cent of Palestinians who own land on the other side of the Wall have not received permits from the Israeli authorities, and hence cannot cultivate their fields. It is a similar story in other parts of the West Bank.
“Before the construction of the Wall, my cooperative harvested over 3,000 tonnes of olives”, explains Youssef Salim, an olive grower from Beit Jala, south of Jerusalem. “Now we only have between 500 and 1,000 tonnes depending on the year. I have 1.8 hectares of olive trees isolated behind the Wall. For years now I haven’t been able to tend to them because it is forbidden to enter this zone.”
The rule of law must triumph
“Daily, Oxfam International and its local partners witness the tragic consequences of the Wall, the permits and the checkpoints”, explains Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director of Oxfam International. “Since the construction of the Wall and the setting in place of its associated regime, the deepening impoverishment and de-development of the Palestinian communities are undeniable. The construction of the Wall continues, well beyond the Green Line, depriving Palestinians of their livelihoods and of access to basic services. Israel’s concern to assure the security of its civilians is legitimate, but its measures should nonetheless remain in conformity with international humanitarian law. As an occupying power, Israel must guarantee the basic rights of the Palestinians.”
Oxfam International calls on the international community to effectively challenge the construction of the Wall in occupied territory and its associated regime, together with the construction of settlements and the confiscation and control of natural resources (land and water), which all de facto contribute to the altering of the demographic composition of the occupied Palestinian Territory and are in violation of international humanitarian law.
“For five years now, different Israeli governments and the international community have turned a deaf ear to the appeals by the General Assembly of the United Nations and have refused to respect and observe the opinion of the International Court of Justice. This inaction gives the wrong signal: that international law can be violated without accountability. For the sake of Palestinians and Israelis alike, it is time for the rule of law to triumph. If not, it will be very difficult to achieve a just, negotiated, and durable peace in the Middle East”, concludes Jeremy Hobbs.
Five years of illegality. Time to dismantle the Wall and respect the rights of Palestinians.
- Full Report in PDF to download : Five years of illegality (Oxfam International)
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